Shared booty in tabletop Lariga collision
With half of each goal, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid played a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This is the second time this season has seen a city rival unable to separate himself with Lariga.
Despite both teams having the opportunity to steal the winner, neither of them found a decisive goal, and each had to settle for the points.
Known for his structured and disciplined approach under Diego Simeone, Atletico began the match with the explicit intention of annoying the hosts and preventing strikes at the counter.
They were rewarded for their efforts in the 35th minute when a swift offensive move was caught in the penalty area by Aurelien Chuameni.
After a review of the VAR, the referee pointed to the spot, allowing Julian Alvarez to step up and convert with confidence, sending the ball into the middle and putting Atletico first.
Real Madrid, struggling to break down Atletico’s compact defense in the first half, has emerged from a new break with urgency.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side wasted no time responding. Within five minutes of the reboot, Kylian Mbappe leveled the score. The French forward hit a loose ball in the box after Jude Bellingham’s initial efforts were blocked and hit a shot past Jan Oblak to restore parity.
🏁 @RealMadriden 1-1 @atletienglish
⚽35′ Julian Alvarez (P).
⚽50′ @kmbappe
👉 @emirates pic.twitter.com/kobxqyo2a0– Real Madrid CF🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@RealMadriden) February 8, 2025
Equalizers sparked a wave of pressure from the Los Blancos, who began to control the lawsuit.
Both Rodrigo and Bellingham approached giving the lead in Real, with the latter hitting the crossbar with a strong header. Also, Vinicius’ junior was a constant threat in his left flank, linking well with his teammates to create an opening.
Meanwhile, Atletico looked like he would take a break, but he found it difficult to carve out a clear opportunity in the second half.
The introduction of Alexander Sollos and Angel Correa added fresh feet to the attack, but visitors lacked the clinical edge to regain the lead.
Antoine Griezmann, who made his 300th appearance at Atletico, struggled to make an impact as Real Madrid’s defense remained solid.
As the game enters the final moments, both managers make tactical adjustments and Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga arrive to provide Real Madrid with additional creativity.
Ancelotti’s side kept pushing the winner, but Atletico held the ground and assured him that he would leave the Bernabeu at the point.
As a result, they will remain at the top of Lariga, but will shift their focus to a key Champions League clash with Manchester City on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid will have a week to prepare supplies for the next league against Celta Vigo.