FULL-TIME! Atlético 1-1 Real
It finishes level. Atleti fight back to ensure a point a piece through Luciano Vietto after Karim Benzema gave Real a ninth-minute lead. The first half was good, most of the second was dull but parity seems fairest. Villarreal remain top with a one point lead over Real in second. Thanks for reading. Until next time, bye!
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90 min + 3: Now Varane concedes a corner. It’s directed to Martínez but he cannot connect well and the ball goes out for a goal-kick. Forty seconds remain.
90 min +2: Then Real break through Ronaldo but his shot is straight to Oblak. CR7 sinks to his knees out of frustration.
90 min +1: Martínezzzzzzz … so close. The summer signing has a shot from the edge of the area and Navas saves brilliantly to deny what would have surely been an Atleti winner.
90 min: Atleti fans are celebrating like they have won this. But it does look like their upperhand on their city rivals will continue. There will be three minutes added on.
89 min: Giménez heads away the delivery. Griezmann picks out Carrasco and he is fouled at least three times before winning a free-kick. Arbeloa is booked. That’s the 10th yellow card of the game.
87 min: Real have a free-kick wide on the left after Ronaldo was taken out by Godín, who is booked. The foul count is now 18-9.
Goal! Atlético 1-1 Real (Vietto)
84 min: It’s scrappy but Vietto’s has his first goal for the club. And what a time to get it. Martínez zooms down the left and crosses to Griezmann, his flick is blocked but not cleared and Vietto bundles home from a couple of yards. Grandstand finish imminent!
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81 min: Carrasco shrugs off Kroos and sends a floating cross to the back-post. Vietto is in good position but heads wide. Poor execution from the substitute. Atleti lead 12-8 when it comes to attempts but the only shots on target have been Benzema’s goal and Griezmann’s penalty.
78 min: Modric strikes meekly wide. This is dull. A case of these two becoming too familiar with each other having met just the eight times last season? Although Benítez’s plan of grinding out games seems to be working at this juncture. Real won only one of those eight under Ancelotti.
76 min: Benzema, scorer of the goal’s only game nine minutes in, walks slowly off. Kovacic is on for him and Ronaldo will lead the line by himself for the remaining 14 plus added time.
75 min: Ronaldo having another quiet game this evening. He gets a sight of goal but finds the side-netting after cutting in on his left.
74 min: An attempt! Vietto’s blocked shot falls to Martínez at a tight angle and Navas saves.
73 min: Nothing is happening.
70 min: Carrasco in a good position to cross from the right instead chooses to shoot and finds the side-netting. Poor decision and this game is beginning to die on its feet. Can Atleti get a second wind?
66 min: Gareth Bale is on for Isco. Wales fans bury their head in their hands and hopes he does not get a recurrence of his calf injury having missed the past four games.
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64 min: The final Atleti change sees Martínez on for Fernando Torres. He remains stuck on 99 red balloons goals for the club.
63 min: Foul-fest temporarily done with, Real attack. Marcelo hangs a cross in and after a tiny bit of pinball, Filipe Luís hooks clear … to Casemiro, who is shoved off the ball by Vietto.
62 min: Eugh! Casemiro is booked for sliding in on Filipe Luís. It was a full-blooded but fair challenge. And that card is harsh.
61 min: Juanfran booked for a foul on Marcelo. Get the sense the fluidity of the first half is long gone. No real pattern to the game at present.
59 min: Varane booked for sliding a nudge on the back of Fernando Torres during an aerial challenge.
56 min: Atleti about to make another change. Correa has faded after an impressive start and Vietto is on in his place.
55 min: Now Atleti enjoy a decent spell in attack. Several attempts are made to breach the Real defence but Varane in particular is on hand to clear any sniff of danger.
53 min: Ronaldo is furious after Giménez comes across and fouls him. The Real player’s anger stems from his opponent’s studs being up but a free-kick and nothing more seems the correct decision.
50 min: Isco and Ronaldo have a give-and-go but the former loses possession with Ramos in the area. What is he doing that far up the pitch?!
48 min: Real starting this half well too. But after a cross from Ronaldo on the left towards Benzema is overhit, Kroos is punished for a high boot in a challenge with Tiago.
Off we go again!
46 min: Real restart. And Atleti have brought on Carrasco for Oliver Torres at the break.
This is more down to Real having so much of the ball across the back-line than Torres being poor. He had a big part in the build-up to winning the penalty, but …
Fernando Torres with 11 touches in the half. Arbeloa's played four minutes and has 10.
— Andres Cordero (@DreCordero) October 4, 2015
HALF-TIME! Atlético 0-1 Real
Benzema’s header and Navas’s penalty save from Griezmann the difference at the break. It’s been good but Atlético need to get on the front foot more often.
45 min: Ronaldo wins a corner off Tiago. Real take it short and quick before Kroos crosses towards the rear stick, Oblak comes out to punch clear.
45 min: Atlético have looked mildly dangerous when countering and have won that penalty but they need to be more attack-minded when the game restarts. They are still allowing Real too much time and space on the ball.
44 min: Real killing the game again, looking to reach half-time with their lead intact.
42 min: Carvajal does not need the stretcher, instead choosing to limp off and towards the tunnel. Arbeloa is indeed on.
40 min: Carvajal is down injured after a challenge from O Torres and asking for a stretcher. Arbeloa is getting ready to come on, stripped and ready.
38 min: Ronaldo eyes up a free-kick from over 30 yards. The effort clears the wall but does not dip enough and sails over.
36 min: Fernando Torres gets a yard on Varane but he is judged offside when Tiago passed.
33 min: Ronaldo gets a sight of goal for the first time since that early header after Benzema lays-off. The effort from 20 yards sails well over.
30 min: Real spend another lengthy spell passing the ball about under little pressure. Atleti eventually press, at which point white shorts begin to move forward.
29 min: Atleti have a corner but it’s taken short and dealt with easily. Benzema breaks menacingly on the left but the ball trickles out for a throw.
27 min: Simeone’s approach is almost inviting Real on. Ronaldo has been marshalled very well, no doubt, but the amount of time the visiting midfield have been afforded thus far has been a tad too much.
24 min: Griezmann attempts to thread a pass through the Real defence towards F Torres but Navas reads it well.
Penalty saved!
22 min: Griezmann goes to Navas’s left but the keeper dives and saves brilliantly. The ensuing corner is hooked clear. Ramos breathes a massive sigh of relief.
Penalty for Atlético!
20 min: After all their passing, Ramos concedes possession on halfway to Correa. Fernando Torres drives forward before the ball breaks to Tiago on the edge of the area after Torres is challenged by Varane. Ramos lunges in carelessly on Tiago. He is booked and Griezmann will take it …
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18 min: Now Real are taking the sting out of the game a little. It’s their turn to enjoy a sustained period of possession. In no rush, they zip it across the field. Every Atleti player is camped back in two banks of four and a forward two. Whistles grow with each pass.
15 min: Ángel Correa is dazzling here even though he’s on the losing side. He accepts a pass with his back to goal about 30 yards out, turns easily before sending another stinging shot narrowly wide. The 20-year-old has buckets of potential.
13 min: Atlético enjoy a lasting spell with the ball but Real have every player sat in their own half and the hosts are unable to find a gap. Eventually the move breaks down and Marcelo attempts to pick out Benzema’s run. His pass is slightly overhit and Oblak is off his line to collect.
11 min: Altético come right back at Real – immediately going on the attack – and in his derbi debut Correa glides in to the area before shooting across goal, narrowly missing. There will be more to come here.
GOAL! Atlético 0-1 Real (Benzema)
9 min: A brilliant header from the France striker, his sixth goal of the season, finds the left corner. Carvajal’s cross was terrific once more and Benzema rose impressively before directing past Oblak, who was left with no chance.
7 min: Carvajal sends a testing cross in but Godín is across confidently to intercept.
6 min: Marcelo, under pressure from Griezmann, hits a sloppy back pass towards Navas. He almost ends up in trouble under pressure from Tiago but eventually managers to clear.
5 min: Now Atleti get going. Filipe’s cross from the left is met by Correa at the near post and he directs an off-balance effort wide.
3 min: Modric sticks a cross in from the left, Ronaldo rises but is unable to direct his header on target. He is roundly met by boos from the home support.
2 min: Real, quick to settle, enjoy some neat passing moves in the middle. Atlético happy to have two banks of four behind the ball.
We're off!
1 min: Atleti kick-off, playing from left to right as we watch it. Both sides in their first strips.
The teams are out. The Calderón is heaving. There is a wonderful red white and blue mosaic apart from the corner behind the goal where the Real fans have unveiled a banner reading “maximum rivalry, violence never”. We are moments away.
@alansmith90 Will Isco be used as a false 9, at the point of a midfield diamond, or will he be used out wide opposite of Ronaldo?
— Colin Crumpton (@ColinCrumpton) October 4, 2015
My guess is a 4-4-2, with Isco wide and Ronaldo up top alongside Benzema.
Agreed …
Foreign clubs are rubbish at tweeting line-ups. English clubs lead the way here #coefficient
— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) October 4, 2015
… and when they do it’s in irritating video format.
In a Guardian Sport first, we also have live coverage of tonight’s game in Spanish. I’m so excited I’ve just dropped some of my dinner. You can read it at the link below.
The teams!
We have our starting eleven! These are our chosen players against Real Madrid. Let's go team! #GoAtleti https://t.co/O3ApaCdTeo
— Atleti English (@atletienglish) October 4, 2015
Here's our starting line-up to face Atlético! 📋⚽ #RMLiga #RMDerbi #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/JqznrdR3th
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) October 4, 2015
We all thought the big leagues across Europe would be quite predictable again this season from the outset but, Germany aside, it has been anything but thus far. The Premier League has thrown up a weekly surprise, Juventus started slowly in Italy and there has been plenty of drama in the opening seven weeks of La Liga.
Barcelona lost to Sevilla last night and Real Madrid will be desperate to capitalise here with a victory a few miles south of their HQ at the Vicente Calderón. Depending on Villarreal’s result at bottom of the table Levante, Real could finish the weekend on top. Atlético should by no means be forgotten, of course, and victory for them would see them leap their city rivals and head for the international break in second.
To do that they will need to keep Cristiano Ronaldo quiet. He loves playing against Atleti – scoring eight in his past seven appearances against Diego Simeone’s team. There is also the slightmatter of hime being one goal from overtaking Raúl as Real’s all-time top scorer. In team news, Koke is a doubt for Atleti, while Ramos, Danile, Rodríguez and Bale are all carrying slight injuries for Real and Pepe is definitely ruled out.
Kick-off is one hour from now. Team news shortly. Let’s do this!
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