Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Atletico Madrid: Atletico Demolishes Los Blancos in Shocking 5-2 Thrashing
Real Madrid's flawless beginning was shattered by Atlético Madrid in a crushing 5–2 defeat during their initial major challenge of the 2025–26 campaign.
Despite Real Madrid entering the match with seven consecutive victories, it was Atlético Madrid who launched an explosive opening. Diego Simeone's squad dominated possession in the opening minutes, though Alexander Sørloth squandered a prime chance to give his team a 1–0 advantage within the first five minutes.
The home side maintained relentless pressure on the table-toppers, who appeared completely disorganized at the Metropolitano. Careless turnovers, wayward passes and desperate defending characterized Real Madrid's performance before Atlético Madrid finally broke through in the 14th minute.
Xabi Alonso's squad couldn't properly deal with a threatening set piece from Julián Alvarez, allowing Giuliano Simeone space to deliver a cross into the penalty area. Robin Le Normand rose above Aurélien Tchouaméni to nod home the match's first goal.
Atlético Madrid wasted multiple opportunities to extend their advantage, giving Real Madrid an opening to fight back into the contest. The away team eventually maintained possession long enough for Arda Güler to slip a perfectly-weighted pass to Kylian Mbappé, who smashed his 10th strike of the campaign into the net just before the 30-minute mark.
Merely 11 minutes afterward, Mbappé capitalized on a poor header from Le Normand and located a charging Vinícius Júnior with plenty of room down the left wing. The Brazilian beat both Le Normand and Marcos Llorente before delivering a precise cross to Güler. The Turkish midfielder coolly struck a half-volley beyond Jan Oblak to give Real Madrid the lead.
Simeone's team refused to surrender easily. Following a VAR check that ruled out an Atlético Madrid equalizer for handball, Sørloth compensated for his earlier miss with a powerful header deep in added time. Level once more, Los Colchoneros swiftly regained their advantage in the second period from the penalty spot. Güler was penalized for a high challenge on Nico González, and Alvarez confidently converted past Thibaut Courtois to restore the hosts' 3–2 lead.
The Argentine clinched victory for Atlético Madrid in the 63rd minute with a spectacular free kick that bent around Real Madrid's defensive wall and nestled in the corner. With a comfortable two-goal cushion, the home team protected their advantage through organized defending, and Antoine Griezmann even added a fifth strike in the 94th minute to complete Real Madrid's humiliation.
This loss marked Real Madrid's first defeat of 2025–26, dropping Los Blancos in the La Liga table. The Spanish powerhouse has now failed to secure maximum points against their city rivals in the previous seven Madrid derbies in Spain's premier division.
Check out Real Madrid's player ratings from the match below.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Atletico Madrid (4-2-3-1)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Position / Player | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 4.5 |
RB: Dani Carvajal | 6.0 |
CB: Éder Militão | 6.6 |
CB: Dean Huijsen | 6.1 |
LB: Álvaro Carreras | 5.3 |
DM: Fede Valverde | 4.8 |
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni | 5.0 |
RW: Arda Güler | 8.1 |
AM: Jude Bellingham | 7.7 |
LW: Vinícius Júnior | 6.6 |
ST: Kylian Mbappé | 7.9 |
SUB: Raúl Asencio (46' for Militão) | 6.2 |
SUB: Franco Mastantuono (59' for Güler) | 6.4 |
SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (59' for Carvajal) | 6.5 |
SUB: Rodrygo (70' for Bellingham) | 6.7 |
SUB: Gonzalo García (89' for Huijsen) | N/A |
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), David Alaba, Fran García, Dani Ceballos, Brahim Díaz, Endrick.
Player of the Match: Julián Alvarez
Real Madrid Player of the Match: Arda Güler
Atlético Madrid (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, Clément Lenglet, Dávid Hancko; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Pablo Barrios, Nico González; Antoine Griezmann, Alexander Sørloth.
Subs: Conor Gallagher, Javi Galán, Antoine Griezmann, Nahuel Molina, Álex Baena.