Atlético Madrid defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the first Madrid derby of the La Liga season on Sunday.
The defeat ended José Mourinho’s unbeaten record against Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone in La Liga.
Real Madrid started the second half strongly, but their hopes were damaged when defender Dean Huijsen was sent off.
Huijsen was shown a yellow card after pulling back Giuliano Simeone, who was through on goal inside the box. After checking the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias changed the decision to a straight red card.
Atlético were then awarded a penalty, and Alejandro Grimaldo calmly converted in the 53rd minute to give the home side the lead.
Real Madrid tried to respond, but Atlético soon doubled their advantage.
Giuliano Simeone was involved again as he delivered a cross that Jonathan David turned into the net. The goal made David the first Atlético player in the 21st century to score in each of his first three La Liga appearances for the club.
Atlético had chances to add a third goal. Julián Alvarez saw his effort cleared off the line by Ibrahima Konaté, while Thibaut Courtois also made an important save to deny Cristian Romero.
Real Madrid eventually pulled one goal back in the 89th minute when Antonio Rüdiger headed home from Bernardo Silva’s free kick.
However, Atlético held on during the closing stages to secure a 2-1 victory.
The result was particularly significant for Simeone, who had lost all three of his previous La Liga meetings with Mourinho when the Portuguese manager was in his first spell at Real Madrid.
The game was closely contested in the first half, with Atlético managing only 0.19 expected goals (xG) before the break. They improved significantly after half-time and finished the match with 2.38 xG.
Real Madrid struggled to create clear chances, recording just 0.32 xG, their lowest total in a La Liga match since February 2015.
Kylian Mbappé, who is one goal involvement away from reaching 500 in club football, struggled to make an impact. He managed only one shot during the match.
Vinícius Júnior was also unable to influence the game before he was substituted.
Atlético’s victory means Simeone has finally beaten Mourinho in a La Liga meeting, while Real Madrid were left to rue Huijsen’s second-half dismissal and their limited attacking threat.
