2 months ago
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Vinicius Jr scored twice arsenic Real Madrid fought backmost to bushed visitors Atletico Madrid 3-2 successful a breathless Spanish superior derby connected Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa's broadside wrong 4 points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona.
Billed arsenic a relatively low-key Madrid derby, with Atletico sitting a distant 4th successful the table, the lucifer instead delivered a five-goal spectacle betwixt the rivals.
It had everything — stunning goals from some sides and a consecutive reddish paper to Real skipper Federico Valverde that reduced the hosts to 10 men successful the dying minutes.
Atletico's Ademola Lookman opened the scoring successful the 33rd minute, finishing a slick counter-attack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful backheel from Giuliano Simeone.
Vinicius equalised from the punishment spot successful the 52nd infinitesimal aft David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Valverde capitalised connected a Jose Maria Gimenez mistake 3 minutes later to marque it 2-1 to Real.
Nahuel Molina silenced Real's Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-metre onslaught successful the 66th minute, but Vinicius restored Real's pb with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.
Valverde past saw reddish for an inexplicable situation connected Alex Baena, and Julian Alvarez struck the station arsenic Atletico pressed, but Real held firm.
“In power from the start”
"Real Madrid ever travel retired on top," Vinicius told Real Madrid TV.
"I'm precise pleased with the show we enactment successful today. We were successful power from the start; we conceded a goal, but we kept our chill and did what we had to bash truthful our fans could spell location blessed with different win."
Atletico's disappointing league run contrasts starkly with their Copa del Rey form, wherever they volition look Real Sociedad in adjacent month's last aft knocking Barcelona retired successful the semis. They besides look Barca successful the Champions League quarter-finals successful a fortnight, aft the planetary break.
They gave Real a due fight, pressing until the last whistle of a hugely entertaining contest.
Real astir took the pb wrong 3 minutes erstwhile Vinicius made a fabulous solo tally from the near and was denied by a large save from Juan Musso, portion Valverde deed the station aft different fantastic tally a fewer minutes later.
Giuliano Simeone made a selfless goal-line clearance to contradict Vinicius from point-blank scope wrong the six-yard container successful the 20th minute, blocking the Brazilian's effort twice.
Real wage for wastefulness
Real paid dearly for their wastefulness erstwhile Atletico opened the scoring done Lookman's antagonistic successful the 33rd minute.
Yet they recovered the equaliser 7 minutes aft the restart erstwhile Hancko mislaid his equilibrium trying to dispossess Brahim wrong the area, clumsily tripping the Moroccan to acquisition the hosts a penalty. Vinicius blasted it location to his near arsenic Musso dived the incorrect way.
Three minutes aboriginal Valverde gave Real the pb aft a schoolboy mistake from centre backmost Gimenez, introduced astatine halftime to enactment up the defence. The Uruguayan failed to woody with a regular pass, allowing Valverde to pounce connected the escaped ball, wrestle past the flailing defender and occurrence past Musso.
Just arsenic Real appeared successful afloat control, Atletico conjured an equaliser from thing successful the 66th minute. Right backmost Molina tried his luck from 30 metres and sent a thunderous onslaught arrowing into the top-left corner.
Vinicius took matters into his ain hands six minutes later, cutting successful diagonally from the left, dribbling past 2 opponents and unleashing an unstoppable changeable conscionable wrong the acold post.
Then came a bewildering twist erstwhile Valverde was flashed a consecutive red, but Real held steadfast to assertion each 3 points.
