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Real Madrid beat the leader Atletico Madrid 2-0 on Saturday to inflict a first La Liga loss of the season on their home rivals and get back in the running for the title.
A dominant performance in the first half saw Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak push Karim Benzema’s left-footed shot into the post early on, before Casemiro gave Real Madrid the lead with a corner kick header from Toni Kroos. .
Atlético substitute Thomas Lemar put up a great opportunity to equalize at the side net after the break. Dani Carvajal marked his return from injury with a thunderous shot that flew off the wood, into Oblak’s back and into the net for an own goal, and then Oblak denied Lucas Vázquez at the end.
Positive
Atlético de Madrid had only conceded two goals in La Liga in the entire previous season and had not been left behind in any stage. Beyond that, they were on a 26-game unbeaten streak in the league dating back to Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory in this match in February.
It was an achievement then for Real Madrid to score early, dominate the first half as they did and finish the job in the second half with a goal that meant they had scored as many against their neighbors as any other team had managed. in their last 10 league games.
For that the performance of the midfield was crucial. The trio of Casemiro, Luka Modric and Kroos overwhelmed their Atlético counterparts, including the duo in the form of Koke and Marcos Llorente, with a display that was reminiscent of Zinedine Zidane’s best Madrid teams.
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Negative
It has been an overwhelmingly positive week for Real Madrid in which their problems, both domestic and European, have been left behind and as such there have been no real negatives here.
A concern going forward will be the fatigue of the team (they will return to action on Tuesday against Athletic Bilbao), as Zidane used essentially the same starting eleven, with minor changes, for all three games this week.
Manager rating out of 10
8 – Zidane has backed his senior core of players to get the job done in a busy week, and here it was no different. Only one change was made to the team that beat Borussia Monchengladbach, with Carvajal, back from injury, replacing Rodrygo. Zidane sought to counter the threat from Yannick Carrasco by deploying him and Lucas Vázquez together on the right.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players submitted after 70 minutes are not rated)
GK Thibaut Courtois, 7 years old – His goal was so well protected that Courtois did not have to save until he pushed Saúl Niguez’s late header.
DF Dani Carvajal, 8 – He marked his return from injury – and his recent fatherhood – with a screeching shot for the second Real Madrid player, at an important moment. There was some luck in the way the ball hit the net, but that shouldn’t detract from the quality of the shot. It lasted almost 80 minutes.
DF Raphael Varane, 7 years old – He played an important role at Atlético looking so toothless in attack, keeping Luis Suárez and Joao Félix quiet.
DF Sergio Ramos, 7 – Now he is the player with the most appearances in the Madrid derby, another record for his collection. He had a chance to score, but got his second-half free kick into the wall.
DF Ferland Mendy, 6 years old – He gave the ball away in a dangerous position with just one minute played. In attack he was about to be played by Benzema before the break. Otherwise solid.
MF Casemiro, 8 years old – A well placed goal. Surprisingly, his scoring record is better than that of Modric and Kroos, at 26 against 24 and 19, despite being, in theory, a more defensive player. Reserved to get Felix out.
MF Toni Kroos, 8 years old – Provided delivery for the first game with a distinctive corner and helped cement Madrid’s midfield dominance at all times. Always on the ball.
MF Luka Modric, 8 years old – Delivered again. Modric really shouldn’t play three games at this level in a week at 35, but in this form he’s too good to rest in a Madrid derby.
PW Vinicius Junior 6 – A fight with Koke at the halftime whistle was his most notable contribution. I worked hard but he hasn’t scored since October and it didn’t seem to change that here.
ST Lucas Vázquez, 7 – Another impressive performance, after their best performance of the season against Monchengladbach in the middle of the week. Could have scored at the end. In this way, Zidane must choose him, even with Carvajal back.
FW Karim Benzema, 7 years old – He started well, hitting the wood within the first 10 minutes with glorious effort. So he could have done better with a chance at the far post. Quieter later.
Substitutes
DEL Marco Asensio, NR – He played the last 10 minutes, instead of a tired Carvajal.
FW Rodrygo, NR – Replaced Vinicius to help watch the game.
MF Fede Valverde, NR – His first minutes since the beginning of November.
