Yannick Carrasco made the difference, but Luka Jovic faltered as Atletico Madrid beat Real Madrid 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid started the game strongly and should have tested stand-in Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in the opening exchanges, only for Angel Correa and Yannick Carrasco to direct their efforts wide. The hosts continued to put pressure on the Real Madrid midfielders, which, in turn, opened up the spaces for their attackers to exploit.
But despite dominating the proceedings, Atletico Madrid had to wait until the 40th minute to finally break the deadlock. Referee Cesar Soto Grado awarded Los Rojiblancos a penalty after much deliberation after initially waving off the protests following Jesus Vallejo’s challenge on Matheus Cunha.
After consultation from VAR, Atletico Madrid had the spot-kick, and Carrasco made no error in beating Lunin, meaning Real Madrid went into half-time a goal down. Atletico Madrid started the second half just like the opening period, but efforts from Antoine Griezmann and Carrasco left a lot to be desired.
Real Madrid slowly grew into the game, but Jan Oblak stood strong in his box to deny the visitors a goal on multiple occasions. In the end, Atletico Madrid held on to their slender advantage to seal their first derby win since 2016. The Colchoneros are now on the verge of clinching the fourth spot on the La Liga table, while the result held no significance for Real Madrid. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both sets of players.
Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak: 8/10
Oblak produced a tremendous performance in the Atletico Madrid goal on Sunday, making a string of saves to retain his clean sheet and earn his side a narrow win. After a season wherein he has blown hot and cold, the Slovenian goalkeeper did well to stand up to the challenge against Real Madrid.
Oblak has been at his absolute best tonight. Single handedly keeping this clean sheet for Atletico.
Atletico have been extremely wasteful in the final third. Giving Madrid chances to get back in this game.
— EiF (@EiFSoccer) May 8, 2022
Sime Vrsaljko: 6/10
Vrsaljko was reasonably solid at the back bar a few instances, and he completed an impressive six tackles. But the Croat was wasteful in possession, losing the ball a staggering 16 times.
Stefan Savic: 6/10
Savic stood to the challenge of defending Rodrygo Goes quite well, but there were instances when he put his team under pressure with a sloppy pass, which needs to improve.
Jose Maria Gimenez: 6/10
Gimenez was a solid customer at the heart of the Atletico Madrid defence, completing a few crucial clearances while winning two duels. But he was too overeager at times, which prompted Oblak to bail him out.
Reinildo Mandava: 6.5/10
Mandava was a solid customer on the left flank as he barely put a foot wrong when called into action. But the Mozambican defender was caught out of position, at times, before being substituted after sustaining a leg injury.
Marcos Llorente: 6/10
Llorente created a couple of half-chances and barely misplaced a pass. But the Spaniard lacked the cutting edge to put Nacho in trouble on Sunday.
Geoffrey Kondogbia: 8/10
?????????? ?? ??????
Arrasó y conquistó TODA la medular. Espectacular despliegue del '5'…
✔️61 intervenciones con balón
✔️46/50 pases completados
✔️11 recuperaciones (#1 del ATM)
✔️3 tackles
✔️1 big chance creada pic.twitter.com/zaYglDC8MK— Atlético Stats (@atletico_stats) May 8, 2022
Kondogbia was a colossus in the middle of the park for Atletico Madrid, putting Real Madrid in trouble for much of the first half with his intense pressing. Even when Real Madrid grew into the proceedings, the former Valencia midfielder remained on top of his game. All in all, it was a solid showing by Kondogbia.
Koke: 6/10
Koke was not as accomplished as Kondogbia in the middle of the park. While the Atletico Madrid captain put in the hard yards, he did not use the ball well, despite taking up areas higher up the pitch. He needs to do better.
Yannick Carrasco: 8/10
Carrasco was brilliant on Sunday, as he ran rings around Lucas Vazquez while scoring the winning goal from the spot. While he should have done better with his other chances, the Belgian made up for his profligacy with some top-class passes to release teammates. Job well done.
Yannick Carrasco sinks the penalty and Atletico are ahead in the Madrid Derby ? pic.twitter.com/Gn1PuGXOle
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) May 8, 2022
Angel Correa: 5/10
Correa had one great opportunity to score in the first half but directed his shot wide. He struggled to get into the game despite Atletico Madrid’s dominance, and Diego Simeone rightly took him off at half-time.
Matheus Cunha: 6.5/10
Cunha endured a game of hits and misses. The Brazilian striker got into dangerous scoring areas but failed to find the back of the net. He should have done better to score from a chance in the second half but won the penalty by moving into the Real Madrid box. He still has some way to go before becoming the undisputed starter for Atletico Madrid.
SUBSTITUTES
Antoine Griezmann: 7/10
Griezmann was a bundle of energy off the bench, slicing open the Real Madrid defence with ease early in the second half. But the Frenchman fluffed his lines when he came into scoring positions, missing two glorious opportunities to find the back of the net.
Felipe: N/A
Felipe replaced Reinildo with around 15 minutes left in the game, and he helped Atletico Madrid retain the slender lead over Real Madrid.
Rodrigo de Paul: N/A
A late introduction, de Paul helped see the game out.
Renan Lodi: N/A
A late introduction, Lodi was barely on the pitch before the full-time whistle blew.
Real Madrid
Andriy Lunin: 6/10
Lunin could not have done anything to deny Carrasco from the spot. But the Ukrainian goalkeeper made one big save to deny Cunha to keep Real Madrid in the game. He was solid enough in his La Liga debut for Los Blancos.
Andriy Lunin vs Atlético de Madrid – A proper modern day keeper ??? pic.twitter.com/Yn9akvODxA
— Deano fan??™️ (@SeazonDeano) May 8, 2022
Lucas Vazquez: 5/10
Carlo Ancelotti rested Dani Carvajal on Sunday, meaning Lucas Vazquez filled in as the right-back. But Carrasco ran the Spaniard ragged at times, with the makeshift full-back losing more than half his contested duels. Vazquez completed most of his attempted passes but carried no threat in the final third.
Eder Militao: 5/10
Militao was not directly at fault for Real Madrid’s defeat, but he was helter-skelter for large parts of the game. He also lost the ball carelessly on a few occasions and needs to start playing with more poise.
Jesus Vallejo: 5/10
After an impressive performance last weekend, Vallejo got another chance to impress and was largely solid. But the Spaniard made a senseless challenge on Matheus Cunha to concede the penalty that Carrasco converted for Atletico Madrid’s winner. He has not done himself any favours with that moment.
Nacho: 6.5/10
Real Madrid’s captain on the night, Nacho was by far the best defender for the visitors on Sunday. The experienced defender contained Marcos Llorente and Sime Vrsaljko well, winning 11 duels in the process. But he barely carried a threat in the final third, which restricted Rodrygo Goes’s game to some extent.
Eduardo Camavinga: 6/10
Camavinga endured a frustrating evening on Sunday, as he struggled to no end in the first half, with Atletico Madrid even pressing him into a mistake at one point. But he did well after settling into the holding midfield role following Casemiro’s substitution, winning nine duels while completing three tackles.
Casemiro: 6.5/10
Casemiro had his struggles against the Atletico Madrid press, but he held his own in the time he spent on the pitch. The Brazilian international made numerous ball recoveries while winning eight duels, often covering for a centre-back out of position. He is slowly regaining peak fitness.
Toni Kroos: 6/10
Kroos endured a difficult game on Sunday, as even though he completed most of his attempted passes, he struggled to evade the Atletico Madrid press at times. The German playmaker was particularly troubled in the first half when Atletico Madrid choked Real Madrid out. He improved as the game wore on but did not do anything substantial.
Marco Asensio: 6/10
Asensio came close to scoring once with a clever free-kick routine, but that was as good as it got for him with goalscoring opportunities. But the Spaniard showed some superb touches, including one in the build-up to the move for Luka Jovic’s chance in the second half.
Luka Jovic: 5/10
Jovic, along with Oblak, only players with less than 10 touches on the field. Real Madrid are deep, but even in these games where the service is limited you notice Benzema and Mariano. Has to get himself involved more.
— Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) May 8, 2022
Jovic got a rare start, with Carlo Ancelotti giving him a chance to impress. But the Serbian striker struggled to get into the game and was rendered anonymous at times by Atletico Madrid’s brilliant press. That said, he had one good chance to score, only for Oblak to deny him.
Rodrygo Goes: 6/10
Coming into the match on the back of a stunning performance against Manchester City, Rodrygo exuded confidence whenever he got the chance to carry the ball. But unlike the midweek fixture, the Brazilian could not get into scoring areas here and failed to muster a shot in the game, although he created one good chance for Jovic.
SUBSTITUTES
Vinicius Junior: 6/10
Vinicius Junior replaced Jovic at the hour mark and was an instant upgrade on the Serb. But while the Brazilian looked nippy on the left flank and created two key passes, he failed to test Oblak much in his cameo.
Federico Valverde: 6/10
Valverde was a bundle of energy after replacing Casemiro at the hour mark. The Uruguayan international put in the hard yards defensively but produced some questionable moments off the ball. Moving forward, he looked determined to get something out of the game, but Oblak denied him twice.
Luka Modric: 6.5/10
Modric helped push Real Madrid forward after replacing Kroos, proving to be more efficient in his cameo than the German playmaker in the first 67 minutes. But the veteran Croat could not help Real Madrid get something out of the game.
Ferland Mendy: 6/10
Mendy was decent enough after replacing Militao, but he did not threaten Atletico Madrid much from the left flank, especially with Real Madrid growing into the game in the final quarter.
