Sid Lowe's match report
A draw is probably a fair result. Luis Suarez gave Atletico an early lead with a lovely goal, and they were a few minutes away from putting Real out of the title race when the inspirationl Karim Benzema scored a classy equaliser. If the first half wasn’t great, the second was a cracker.
Atletico will be so frustrated, especially as they had good chances to put the game to bed, but when the dust settles they will realise a draw is still a decent result. It leaves them three points clear of Barcelona and five ahead of Real, with a game in hand on both. Thanks for your company, bye!
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Full time: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Real Madrid
Peep peep! Atletico’s long wait for a league victory over Real goes on.
90+2 min Three minutes of added time.
90+1 min Modric stabs the free-kick over the bar with the outside of his right foot. Not a great effort.
90 min Lucas Vazquez is fouled this far outside the area by Savic, who is booked.
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That was a beautifully worked goal. Benzema dropped deep to receive possession 30 yards from goal, surged at the defence and quickly tapped the ball through to Casemiro in the area. He drew Oblak and then eased the ball across to give Benzema an open goal.
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GOAL! Atletico 1-1 Real (Benzema 88)
Karim Benzema equalises for Real!
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87 min Suarez has the chance to put Saul through on the break, but his pass is a fraction too heavy and Saul is pushed wide. If Atletico don’t win this, they will rue a number of missed opportunities.
86 min It’s all Real now. Kroos’s long-range shot is blocked, but the ball comes straight back towards the Atletico goal.
85 min Diego Simeone really is going through the wringer in his technical area.
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83 min If it stays like this, Atletico will be five points clear of Barcelona and eight clear of Real Madrid, with a game in hand on both.
82 min Atletico bring on Geoffrey Kondogbia for Angel Correa.
81 min Joao Felix is booked for a foul just outside the area. Benzema’s free-kick is punched away by Oblak, falling to his left. That was a relatively comfortable save.
80 min: Brilliant double save from Oblak! Vinicius, on the left, flicked a terrific cross with the outside of his right foot towards Benzema, who stretched to hit a shot that was blocked at point-blank range by Oblak. Benzema collected the rebound but Oblak got to his feet to make an even better second save.
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77 min Trippier, who has had a fine game on his return, makes an excellent challenge on Vinicius.
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74 min Trippier finds Llorente in space on the right. He scampers into the area but then plays a dreadful pass straight to Casemiro. Real break, and moments later Benzema drives wide of the near post from the edge of the area. That was a chance.
72 min Correa is booked for fouling Mendy.
71 min A swirling long-range shot from Valverde is pushed away by Oblak, falling to his left. It was a comfortable save, though Valverde struck the ball beautifully.
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69 min Mendy plays an excellent pass into Benzema, who surprisingly lets the ball run under his foot just inside the area. Had he taken that in his stride, he would have had a decent chance.
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69 min Vinicius curls well wide from distance. Real have looked pretty toothless.
67 min Varane is booked for hoofing Suarez.
66 min Suarez’s clever header finds Joao Felix on the left of the area. He gives the ball back to Suarez, whose crisp first-time shot is straight at Courtois.
65 min Real have dominated possession since half-time, though Atletico have created the clearer chances on the break. It’s a really good game now.
64 min Atletico bring on Joao Felix for Carrasco, who is booked for leaving the field too slowly.
61 min Correa misses a great chance, dragging a volley wide from eight yards. I don’t think it would have counted anyway; replays suggest he was offside.
60 min A double change for Real: the anonymous wide players, Rodrygo and Asensio, are replaced by Vinicius and Fede Valverde.
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58 min Another dangerous Atletico counter-attack, led by the superb Llorente, ends with Suarez spanking well wide from 20 yards.
57 min A change for Atletico: Thomas Lemar is replaced by Saul Niguez.
55 min: Another big save from Courtois! That was lovely play from Atletico. Lemar slid a sweet pass inside Lucas Vazquez to release Carrasco on the left of the area. He cut the ball back to Suarez, who screwed a left-footed shot that was smothered by Courtois.
54 min This has been a much better game since half-time.
53 min: Fine save by Courtois! That was so close to a second goal. Carrasco, on the left, played a one-two with Suarez, moved through on goal and hammered a shot that was superbly blocked by the outrushing Courtois. The ball rebounded to Llorente on the edge of the D, and he whistled a volley just over the bar.
53 min Casemiro’s cross is headed straight at Oblak by Nacho, who did well to get above Trippier at the far post.
52 min Rodrygo and Asensio, who were anonymous in the first half, have switched wings.
51 min Lucas Vazquez’s long-range shot ricochets around the Atletico area before being booted clear. Real have started the second half with intent.
49 min Good play from Real. Modric and Benzema combine to find Lucas Vazquez, whose low cross is put behind for a corner.
47 min Benzema, back for a set piece, loses the ball to Carrasco in a dangerous area. Carrasco cuts inside from the right but then hits a poor cross that is cleared by Mendy.
46 min Peep peep! Atletico begin the second half.
Half-time reading
Half time: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid
Peep peep! Atletico have been much the better team and lead through Luis Suarez’s classy 14th-minute goal. Real were hopeless going forward, though they might have had a penalty for an accidental handball by Felipe just before the break. There’s a bit of needle on the way off, with Luis Suarez and Lucas Vazquez exchanging words and hand gestures. Lovely stuff.
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45+2 min Kroos’s deflected long-range shot is easily saved by Oblak.
NO PENALTY! Crikey, that’s a surprise, and Zinedine Zidane doesn’t look remotely impressed.
42 min: The referee is going to the monitor! I think this will be given.
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41 min The Real players appeal for handball when a corner flashes across the face of goal. The referee isn’t interested. It certainly hit the outstretched arm of Felipe, who saw the ball late and missed an attempted header. It’s being checked by VAR.
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38 min Llorente breaks down the right and flights a deep cross towards Suarez, whose left-footed volley bobbles through to Courtois. It was a difficult chance - he was running away from goal and had to stretch to drag a volley back on target.
37 min Suarez is having a bit of a stormer. As well as his goal, some of his first-time passes have been brilliant in their imagination and execution.
35 min Atletico probably can’t believe how comfortable this is; they are in complete control.
34 min “Hi Rob,” says Ruth Purdue. “It looks a lot better for Athleti with Trippier back doesn’t it?”
You’re darn tootin’. He’s played well and looks sharp for somebody who has done very little for two months.
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32 min “Who is Real’s best outfield player at this point?” says Zach Neeley. “Feels like there’s aging stars but no new generation. Spain’s big two seemed so good at rotating in fresh greats until the last few years when it’s turned to treading water.”
All hail the geriatricos.
30 min Trippier and Llorente combine nicely to find Correa, whose tame cross is headed away. Llorente is getting into some lovely positions between the lines.
29 min Modric swings a long-range shot high over the bar.
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27 min Atletico have the match under control at the moment. Real have been pretty poor, and very sluggish.
25 min Suarez’s imaginative chipped cross just evades Carrasco at the far post. Suarez is playing superbly.
22 min Another cross from Asensio skims the head of Benzema at the near post; I think he jumped too early. Atletico break, with Suarez playing a brilliant first-time pass to Lemar on the left. He dithers slightly and his driven cross is blocked.
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20 min Casemiro’s flighted cross is headed well wide by Benzema, who got above Savic near the penalty spot. Again, not much of a chance.
19 min This is the perfect situation for Atletico, who can now sit deep and play on the break. Few do it better.
18 min Asensio’s cutback from the left finds Benzema, who mistimes a left-footed volley that bobbles through to Oblak. It wasn’t much of a chance.
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Trippier, deep in his own half, played a straight pass towards Llorente on the halfway line. He nipped away from Nacho, surged into space and then poked a pass to put Suarez through on goal. He finished with a swagger, flicking the ball past Courtois with the outside of his right foot. Nicely done.
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GOAL! Atletico 1-0 Real (Suarez 14)
Luis Suarez gives Atleti the lead with a superb goal!
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13 min Real are starting to enjoy a bit more possession. There’s still bugger all happening, in truth.
11 min It’s all very cagey. Atletico have had most of the ball without threatening to work Thibaut Courtois. It looks like they are playing a back four, by the way, with Hermoso at left-back and Carrasco on the left of midfield.
9 min The ball has punctured so there’s a brief break in play while it is changed. Zinedine Zidane smiles at the silliness of it all; Diego Simeone doesn’t.
7 min Real have barely crossed the halfway line in the first seven minutes.
5 min Carrasco’s corner is headed away by Modric, and that’s the end of that.
4 min Suarez’s free-kick hits the wall and deflects behind for a corner.
3 min It’s been a good start for Atletico. Suarez is fouled 30 yards from goal by Casemiro, slightly to the right of centre.
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2 min After nice play from Correa and then Llorente, Koke’s snapshot from 20 yards is blocked.
1 min Peep peep! Real kick off from left to right.
The kick off is a few minutes away. It’s a pleasant afternoon in Madrid, with the sun creeping through. Let’s have some football then.
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Real won the return fixture 2-0 in December, and they have an outstanding recent record in the derby. Their last league defeat to Atletico was at the Bernabeu in 2015-16. There is a helluva lot pressure on Atletico today, though there’s an upside to that: imagine how much a victory would empower them.
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Team news
Kieran Trippier, who is available again after his betting ban, goes straight back into the Atletico Madrid side. And Karim Benzema, who has been out for almost a month, starts up front for Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid (3-4-2-1) Oblak; Savic, Felipe, Hermoso; Trippier, Llorente, Koke, Carrasco; Correa, Lemar; Suarez.
Substitutes: Joao Felix, Saul, Vitolo, Grbic, Vrsaljko, Kondogbia, Torreira, Dembele, Lodi.
Real Madrid (4-3-3) Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Varane, Nacho, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Asensio.
Substitutes: Vinicius, Marcelo, Lunin, Odriozola, Hugo Duro, Eder Militao, Isco, Valverde, Diego Suarez.
Referee Alejandro Hernandez.
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Preamble
Hello. There’s no such as a meaningless Madrid derby. But this is more meaningful than most, a match that could have a huge impact on the psychology of the title race. Atletico are top, five points ahead of the champions Real with a game in hand. Between them are Barcelona, who are two points behind Atleti having played two games more.
Atletico are still favourites for the title but they’ve had a tricky recent spell, winning only two of the last five games. This is a mustn’t-lose game for them. It’s closer to a must-win for Real, although they wouldn’t look a gift point in the mouth.
Kick off 3.15pm.
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