Atlético beat 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 as derby erupts over refereeing decisions
Atlético Madrid beat 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 at the Metropolitano on September 20, taking control of a heated derby after Dean Huijsen was sent off early in the second half.
Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty in the 52nd minute before Jonathan David doubled Atlético’s advantage seven minutes later. Antonio Rüdiger pulled one back for Real Madrid in the 89th minute, but Atlético held on for the victory.
The scoreline settled the derby.
The argument over how it reached that point did not.
Huijsen dismissal swings the contest
The game was still goalless when Huijsen was penalised for a challenge on Giuliano shortly after half-time.
Real Madrid’s official account says the referee initially showed a yellow card before reviewing the incident and upgrading the decision to red.
Grimaldo scored from the resulting penalty to put Atlético ahead, and David made it 2-0 in the 59th minute.
Real Madrid were suddenly chasing the game with 10 players.
Madrid challenge earlier decisions
The defeat was followed by strong criticism from Real Madrid over two first-half incidents.
The club argued that Cuti Romero should have been dismissed for a challenge on Jude Bellingham and that Kang-In Lee should also have seen red for a tackle on Federico Valverde. Those claims represent Real Madrid’s interpretation of the incidents rather than an independent ruling.
José Mourinho repeated the complaints after the match, arguing that both incidents warranted red cards and affected the balance of the derby.
Atlético’s official match account focused instead on the result and the second-half sequence that gave Diego Simeone’s side control.
Lookman joins Atlético’s second-half push
There was also a Nigerian-interest element.
Ademola Lookman entered for Álex Baena in the 66th minute as Atlético managed their advantage against the reduced Madrid side.
By then, the derby had shifted sharply.
Atlético had the extra player, the two-goal cushion and the momentum.
Rüdiger gives Madrid late hope
Madrid still found a response.
Rüdiger scored in the 89th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1 and give the visitors late hope.
Atlético survived the final pressure and secured the derby victory.
For Simeone’s side, the result delivered three points and local bragging rights.
For Real Madrid, the defeat carried an additional layer of frustration because of the refereeing decisions they challenged afterwards.
The score is final.
The debate around the derby is not.
