Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over city rivals Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, relying on a second-half brace from Vinicius Junior to keep their La Liga title hopes alive and narrow the gap behind leaders Barcelona to four points.
Okay News reports that the thrilling encounter saw Alvaro Arbeloa’s men fight back from a first-half deficit to claim all three points. The visitors struck first against the run of play in the 33rd minute when Ademola Lookman finished from close range following a clever backheel assist from Giuliano Simeone.
The game turned completely on its head early in the second half. Vinicius Junior leveled the score from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after Brahim Diaz was brought down inside the box by David Hancko. Just three minutes later, Federico Valverde capitalized on a defensive error to place the ball past Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso, putting the hosts in front.
However, Nahuel Molina momentarily silenced the home crowd in the 66th minute with a stunning 25-yard strike that arrowed into the top corner to restore parity for Diego Simeone’s side.
The decisive blow came in the 72nd minute when Vinicius Junior curled in his second goal of the night—his 10th in his last 11 matches—after receiving a pass from substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Real Madrid was then forced to survive a nervy ending after Valverde received a straight red card in the 77th minute for a heavy challenge on Alex Baena. Despite Atletico’s Julian Alvarez striking the post in the dying moments, the hosts held firm to record their first Spanish top-flight win against their cross-town neighbors since September 2022.
