MADRID — Real Madrid‘s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s derby means there’s no change at the top of the table, with just one point still separating the two teams. Julián Álvarez‘s first-half penalty had Atletico hoping they might secure their first win at the Santiago Bernabéu since 2016, but Kylian Mbappé‘s equalizer early in the second half meant the visitors had to settle for a point.
Real had the better of the second half as both goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak, making important late saves. Here are three talking points, after a result that leaves LaLiga’s title race wide open.
1. Penalty call means more ammunition for ref debate
After all the noise this week — the refereeing complaints, the open letters, the social media posts — it was time for the football. Or was it?
The build-up to this derby was dominated by Real’s demands for “structural reform” of refereeing, and Atletico’s critique of their rivals for putting officials under pressure. So of course, when the game began, it was no different.
Naturally, the spotlight was on referee Cesar Soto Grado and his VAR colleague Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea. There were deafening whistles for both officials’ names when they were read out over the stadium tannoy, pre-match. The only question was: when would the first big decision come? And would they get it right?
For the first half hour of the game, very little happened: it was exactly the game Atletico and Simeone wanted, with not much football and precious few chances. Then, that moment of polémica (Spanish for “controversy”) arrived.
Aurélien Tchouaméni, once again playing out of position at centre-back, reached for the ball inside the box and seems to catch Samuel Lino‘s foot with his studs. A long, drawn-out VAR check followed. Tchouameni had trodden on Lino’s foot, but by the time the contact came, the ball had gone.
Atletico’s first-half performance at the Bernabéu was vintage Simeone, the team looking near-impossible to break down. They moved in unison to deny any space, sometimes with a backline of six players, with wingers Giuliano Simeone and Lino dropping back to help the defence. In that first half it meant Real Madrid, despite their much vaunted “fantastic four” attack of Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, looked toothless.
The second half was less convincing and in the end, Atletico had Oblak to thank for earning them a point.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will have been looking on with interest, having seemingly bounced back from their December slump. A win for Barça at a struggling Sevilla on Sunday would put them a point behind Atletico and two behind Real, with Barça due to visit Atletico next month. The prospect of a proper, three-horse title race that goes the distance is now a very real one.
