Julian Alvarez scored twice as Atletico Madrid came from behind to thrash city rival Real Madrid 5-2 in a pulsating derby on Saturday that handed the LaLiga leader its first loss after a perfect start to the season.
The thrilling encounter at a raucous Metropolitano stadium, with nearly 70,000 fans on the edge of their seats, saw Atletico fight back from 2-1 down to claim a memorable victory that lifted it to fourth place with 12 points. Real Madrid remains atop LaLiga with 18 points, two ahead of Barcelona which has a game in hand.
Atletico’s aggressive start paid off when Robin Le Normand opened the scoring with a header in the 14th minute, but Kylian Mbappe burst through to level with an unstoppable strike from close range in a quick counter in the 25th minute. Arda Guller netted a volley from a Vinicius Jr cross 11 minutes later to put the visitor in front.
Alexander Sorloth’s header in added time before the break gave Atletico a boost and it regained the lead five minutes into the second half when Alvarez converted a penalty after Guler’s high boot clipped rival Nico Gonzalez on the face inside the box.
After Alvarez extended its lead in the 64th minute with a sublime free kick into the top corner, substitute Antoine Griezmann sealed the win in a quick counter in added time.
Published on Sep 27, 2025
