The first round of the rivalry between Simeone and Mourinho goes to the “Cholos”. Atletico Madrid wins the derby of the Spanish capital and does so with full merit. “Los Colchoneros” take the lead in the 53rd minute thanks to Grimaldo, who beat Courtois from the penalty spot, after the penalty awarded for the foul of Huijsen, who is also punished with a red card. Jonathan David, who seems to have been reborn after leaving Juventus, thinks of doubling the advantage. Real tries to react and reduces the difference with Rüdiger, but fails to find the equalizer.
The first half that takes place at the “Metropolitano” in Madrid is very disappointing, as neither Real nor Atletico manage to create a continuous danger. After 15 minutes, David tries, but the former Juventus striker's header from a difficult position ends up wide. The only shot on target in the first half comes from “Los Blancos” in the 40th minute, with Arda Güler: his free kick is easily saved by Oblak.
In the second half, the match changes completely and the credit goes to Atletico Madrid. In the 49th minute, Giuliano Simeone wins a penalty: the Argentine winger, heading towards goal after a long pass from Hancko, is blocked by Huijsen. The defender, a former Roma and Juventus player, is initially booked, but then Ortiz Arias is called by the VAR to look at the footage on the monitor and decides to send off the centre-back.
Grimaldo takes the spot kick, who sends Courtois in the wrong direction and scores for 1-0. Just six minutes later, in the 59th minute, Atletico doubles the advantage with David, served in the center of the area by Giuliano Simeone, who was without a doubt the best player on the field. For the Canadian striker, it is the third goal in a row, giving the impression that he has regained his form after leaving Juventus.
Atletico controlled the pace of the game and tried to manage the advantage, also favored by the numerical superiority. In the 70th minute, the home team was close to a third goal with Romero, but first Courtois and then Konaté managed to save Real. In the 89th minute came the goal that could have completely reopened the match. After Bernardo Silva's free kick, Rüdiger went ahead and beat Oblak, bringing the score to 2-1. However, Real failed to find the equalizer.
With the victory in the derby, Atletico overtakes Real in the standings and closes in on -5 points from Barcelona, which at the moment seems unattainable for all the teams that follow it. For Mourinho and his team, this is the second defeat in the first seven matches of the championship.
