In a fiercely contested Madrid derby at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday night, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid played to a 1-1 draw, leaving the La Liga title race tighter than ever.
The match’s opening goal came in the 35th minute when Atlético was awarded a penalty after a VAR review determined that Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouaméni had fouled Samu Lino in the box. Julián Álvarez confidently converted the spot-kick, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Real Madrid responded swiftly in the second half. Just five minutes after the restart, Kylian Mbappé capitalized on a loose ball in the area, slotting it past Jan Oblak to level the score at 1-1.
Both teams had opportunities to secure a winner. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior were particularly active in the attacking third, but Atlético’s defense, marshaled by Oblak’s exceptional goalkeeping, held firm. On the other end, Antoine Griezmann and Álvarez posed consistent threats, but the Real Madrid defense remained resilient.
This draw keeps Real Madrid atop the La Liga standings with 50 points, closely pursued by Atlético Madrid with 49 points. Third-placed FC Barcelona, currently at 45 points with a game in hand, could narrow the gap further depending on their upcoming result against Sevilla.
