The first ELDERBI DE MADRID of the 2025/26 season was a thriller, as Atlético de Madrid thrashed city rivals Real Madrid 5-2 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. It was a pulsating and back-and-forth game, with the first half finishing 2-2 after both sides had held the lead at different stages. Then, in the second half, Julián Álvarez struck from the penalty spot and with a direct freekick before Antoine Griezmann placed the cherry on top for the home crowd in stoppage time. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
Griezmann’s goal made this a historic result. That’s because Los Colchoneros hadn’t scored five goals against Real Madrid in a competitive fixture in 75 years. Not since a 6-3 win in 1950 had Atleti enjoyed a “manita”, a full handful of five goals, against Los Blancos. The three-goal margin of victory is also their largest in some time, the biggest since a 4-0 win at the Estadio Vicente Calderón in 2015.
In the context of this season and the title race in LALIGA EA SPORTS, this was a huge three-point haul for Atlético de Madrid and one that cuts the distance to Real Madrid to six points. It’s no secret that the start to this season had been a disappointment for Diego Simeone’s men, with three draws and a loss across their first six league fixtures, and there was a chance they could have finished this weekend 12 points behind Los Blancos. However, the victory flips that script and means the gap is a much more manageable six points.
Simeone was visibly proud of his squad and praised the team’s effort in the post-match press conference. The Argentinian told the media: “I asked the players if anything important was going wrong in their lives. They said no, so I told them, ‘Well, play and enjoy yourselves because this is a unique opportunity and these matches don’t come around often’. Luckily, it worked out well. When the team is committed like this and translates that into their play, it makes the coach very happy. I’m thinking about the joy that the players were able to give our fans against our city rivals.”
The main man was once again Julián Álvarez, just days after he scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 LALIGA EA SPORTS victory over Rayo Vallecano. By netting five goals across these two derby victories, he now has six total goals in the league this season and is the second-top scorer, only behind Kylian Mbappé, who scored his eighth goal in this derby. After all the debate that the Argentinian’s “double touch” penalty generated after these teams’ Champions League tie last season, this time Álvarez produced two cleaner and more successful touches from the penalty spot and from his freekick.
A catalyst for Atlético de Madrid?
A result as big as this could be a turning point in Atlético de Madrid’s season. Simeone explained after the win how difficult it has been to integrate the many new signings who have arrived at the club, stating: “Many new players have arrived, 15 in two seasons, and it’s not easy to integrate them and ensure they understand what it means to play for Atlético Madrid. Some grasp it more quickly than others. That’s where we are at the moment.”
Now that the club has enjoyed a victory as important as this one, Simeone and his coaching staff will hope it can be a catalyst for even bigger and better, and more consistent, results. A huge Champions League home game against Eintracht Frankfurt is just around the corner, and Atleti will enter it in great scoring form and full of confidence.
