In a pulsating Madrid derby at the Santiago Bernabeu, Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente scored in stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw against city rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga on Sunday. Brahim Diaz had opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the first half.
Real Madrid remains at the top of the LaLiga table with 58 points, holding a two-point lead over second-placed Girona, whom they are set to face on Saturday. Atletico Madrid, with 48 points, holds onto the fourth spot, trailing behind third-placed Barcelona by two points.
Real Madrid’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, expressed his thoughts on the match, stating, “It was a good game from our side, we controlled the game but we were unlucky to concede a goal in the last minute. We did well, we deserved to win but we have nothing to complain about. We are leaders and we have another chance to take a big step forward next Saturday. The team has to be calm, a good point has come out of it.”
The opening goal came after 20 minutes when Brahim Diaz capitalized on some sloppy defending by Atletico inside the box. Diaz seized on a loose ball to slot home from close range, securing his fourth league goal of the season.
Atletico believed they had equalized early in the second half when Stefan Savic’s towering header found the net, but VAR intervened to rule it out for offside.
In the dying moments of the game, Atletico found the equalizer when midfielder Marcos Llorente headed past Real Madrid keeper Andriy Lunin from a cross by Memphis Depay.
“The goal tastes very good, we worked hard during the game, we got a point, and we are happy with the team’s work,” said Llorente in an interview with Movistar. “It doesn’t taste like a win the way the game was going, but we got a valuable point.”
Atletico Madrid now turns its focus to the Spanish Cup semi-finals, where they are set to host Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday. The draw against Real Madrid has surely boosted their morale as they aim for a strong campaign in both domestic competitions.
