Atlético de Madrid pulverizes Xabi Alonso's new Madrid

BarcelonaA week of resurrection for Atlético de Madrid, capable of defeating Real Madrid in a beautiful derby, with chances at both ends. Xabi Alonso's first defeat as manager in La Liga opens the door for Barça, who could snatch top spot from a team that has been overwhelmed by the intensity of the Colchoneros. It's been 75 years since Atlético Madrid led by five goals. The last time was in 1950, in a 3-6 win at Chamartín when Helenio Herrera was managing Atlético. "We had to enjoy this game," said Simeone, who was breathing heavily. If just a few days ago Atlético were losing 2-1 to Rayo Vallecano and seemed eliminated from the title race, they now climb up the table thanks to the comeback against Rayo Vallecano and today's well-deserved victory. Six points from two derbies in five days.

And that was despite the fact that Madrid had taken the lead thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler, who overturned the scoreline after Atlético's opening goal. Diego Simeone's team had clearly outplayed the leaders at the start of the match and, after two chances missed by Sorloth, struck in the 14th minute with a header from Le Normand. Real Madrid's comeback came thanks to Mbappé, who designed his move by connecting with Güler in the 25th minute and finished with quality with a cross shot. The Frenchman remains Madrid's mainstay.

Real Madrid's comeback came with a move by Vinícius, who punished a poor header from Le Normand by passing to Güler in the 36th minute. Defensive errors seemed to condemn an electric Atlético in attack, with Simeone's son destroying Carreras and Sorment destroying Carreras. The Scandinavian was already starting to get whistled.

The second half belonged to Julián Álvarez, the home side's big star. He is a player who seems born to score in important matches, especially against our neighbors who wear white. First, he made it 3-2 from the penalty spot after a clear foul by Güler. And shortly after, it was necessary to make it 4-2 with a beautiful shot that evaded Courtois. Xabi Alonso brought on Mastantuono and Camavinga, as well as the forced replacement for the injured Militao at halftime. But Atlético were the better side, even though they gave away possession. Madrid tried to react, but came up against a very solid Atlético side that is once again believing in itself and ended up celebrating with a bang with Griezmann's fifth goal in stoppage time.

"It will be difficult to forget this defeat. It's undoubtedly very tough, and we take responsibility. This isn't the level we want to play. We started a new game after the break; after the 2-2 draw, we were alive, although overall the game wasn't good. We're not happy with how we played today. But we also don't want to forget where we've come from. We've made progress and built up the momentum we've put in. There are tough days. This is football," Xabi Alonso would say at the end. They came in as favorites and came away from the derby scalded.