Real stay within four points of league leaders Barcelona with hard-fought win in Madrid derby.
Published On 22 Mar 202622 Mar 2026
Vinicius Jr scored twice as Real Madrid fought back to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a breathless Spanish capital derby on Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa’s side within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Atletico’s Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute on Sunday, finishing a slick counterattack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful backheel from Giuliano Simeone.
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Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Federico Valverde capitalised on a Jose Maria Gimenez error three minutes later to make it 2-1 to Real.
Nahuel Molina silenced Real’s Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-metre strike in the 66th minute, but Vinicius restored Real’s lead with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.
Valverde then saw red for an inexplicable challenge on Alex Baena, and Julian Alvarez struck the post as Atletico pressed, but Real held firm.
Arbeloa praised his side for showing “pure Real Madrid mentality” to emerge with a difficult win.
“We’re in a good moment, it wasn’t an easy match at all. The opponent made it very difficult for us,” he said.
“We had to show a very strong mentality, they equalised again fiercely and we had to press again. That’s what I liked the most – the mentality of this team.”
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone said his side deserved to come away with more from the game.
“We could have defended their goals better and done more in attack,” he said.
“We’re facing teams that play well, and if you give them anything, they’ll hurt you. We deserved more.”
Earlier on Sunday, Barcelona edged Rayo Vallecano 1-0 as Ronald Araujo headed in the winner in the 24th minute at Camp Nou, and Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García’s impressive performance showed why he is most likely heading to the World Cup with Spain.
Araújo jumped over his marker and scored after Joao Cancelo’s corner to the far post.
Raphinha came close on three occasions to also scoring for the hosts in the first half. He shot wide on the break, forced goalkeeper Augusto Batalla to tip a shot over the bar, and hit the woodwork shortly after Araújo’s goal.
Garcia saved a shot by Carlos Martin in the game’s opening minute, blocked Unai Lopez’s header early in the second half and got just enough on a low strike from Jorge de Frutos in the final moments to push it wide.
Garcia was included in Spain’s squad for the first time on Friday ahead of two friendly matches which will serve as warmups for this summer’s World Cup.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Alaves achieved one of the club’s most memorable wins after it erased a three-goal deficit at Celta Vigo to secure a 4-3 victory. The stunning result lifted Alaves out of the relegation zone.
In Bilbao, Dani Vivian and Oihan Sancet scored to give Athletic a 2-1 win over Real Betis in the first match since Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde said he would leave the Basque club at the end of the season.
Who: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid What: La Liga Where: Santiago Bernabeau, Madrid, Spain When: Sunday, March 22 at 9pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Madrid host rivals Atletico on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu, aiming to stay in touch with champions Barcelona, who currently hold a four-point lead.
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Los Blancos will be seven points off the summit if Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano earlier on Sunday.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid side dispatched Manchester City in the Champions League last 16 with two victories after entering the tie as underdogs, and it could be a turning point for a season hobbled by inconsistency.
Before the win over City, Madrid had faltered with back-to-back league defeats to Osasuna and Getafe.
Madrid will be seeking some vengeance for the 5-2 drubbing Atletico dealt them in their first league meeting at Metropolitano Stadium in September and will be hoping that Atletico’s main focus is on cup competitions – their main chances of silverware this season.
A top-four spot is virtually guaranteed for Atletico, who sit third in La Liga – 13 points clear of fifth place Real Betis.
Atletico – who will play Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final – are also into the last eight of the Champions League after overcoming Tottenham Hotspur.
Last up for Madrid
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr scored twice as the Spanish side eased into the Champions League quarterfinals, beating 10-man Manchester City 2-1 at Etihad Stadium to complete a 5-1 aggregate victory.
Vinicius put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute, after the VAR judged Bernardo Silva to have handled his shot on the line, a decision that also reduced City to 10 men and made an already daunting task seemingly impossible.
Pep Guardiola’s City were not waving the white flag, however, and Erling Haaland levelled in the 41st minute when he tapped in a pass from Jeremy Doku from close range.
City’s Doku and Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde and Vinicius had second-half goals chalked off before Vinicius completed his brace with the last kick of the game from the edge of the 6-yard box in the 93rd minute.
Vinicius’s goals were an answer to the Premier League team’s fans mocking him with a banner last season, referring to Rodri beating the Brazilian to the Ballon d’Or.
“Football is good for that, it always gives you another chance,” said Vinicius.
Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring the opening goal against City on Wednesday [Paul Ellis/AFP]
Arbeloa basks in ‘happiness and joy’ of win
Madrid march into the quarterfinals to face Barcelona after defeating City.
“It was a really tough tie against a team like this who have such talent,” Arbeloa after the game. “There’s happiness, there’s joy because of the performance and this continues.”
Asked about beating Guardiola, Arbeloa deflected praise to his players.
“I wouldn’t dare to say I can beat Pep Guardiola in terms of a tactical way, he’s an elite coach, he’s won thousands of trophies in his career, and what we’ve won is a tie,” he said. “I believe [the players] deserve the recognition for the work they put in.”
Last up for Atletico
Atletico Madrid held off Tottenham’s bid for an epic Champions League escape as they reached the quarterfinals despite a 3-2 defeat in the last-16 second leg on Wednesday.
Diego Simeone’s side trailed three times in north London but they did just enough to go through 7-5 on aggregate.
Randal Kolo Muani put Tottenham ahead in the first half before Julian Alvarez levelled immediately after the break.
Xavi Simons netted to give spirited Tottenham a glimmer of hope, but David Hancko’s equaliser extinguished any chance of an incredible comeback.
Simons’ stoppage-time penalty came too late for Tottenham to complete their mission impossible.
Alvarez scores against Spurs [David Klein/Reuters]
Numbers speak for themselves, says Simeone
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said the “numbers speak for themselves” after guiding his side into the Champions League quarterfinals for the eighth time in 13 seasons.
“Sometimes you don’t need to say anything, the numbers speak for themselves,” Simeone told reporters.
“It’s a moment to be happy as a club, as a team, with the joy of our fans, who will celebrate this step towards the quarterfinals.
“When you get here, the road will be tough, as in previous situations where we reached the final.”
Head-to-head
Real Madrid and Atletico have locked horns on 242 occasions, with Real Madrid winning 124 matches, Atletico winning 60, and 58 games ending as draws.
Atletico thrashed Madrid 5-2 when the clubs last met in La Liga in September 2025.
Indeed, Atletico are unbeaten in their last six league games against Madrid, with four of those games finishing in draws, and they have only lost one of their last eight games in La Liga against their rivals.
Their last encounter in any competition was a Spanish Super Cup semifinal in January, which Madrid won 2-1 courtesy of goals from Federico Valverde and Rodrygo.
Real Madrid’s team news
Kylian Mbappe made his return from a knee injury as a substitute in the second leg against City and is set to start up front alongside Vinicius Jr.
Madrid’s biggest absence may be goalkeeper Thibault Courtois, who will be out for about six weeks after picking up a muscle injury against City in midweek. Andriy Lunin is set to deputise for the big Belgian in goal.
Eder Militao, Dani Ceballos, and Rodrygo have also been ruled out with injuries. However, Alvaro Carreras, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba and Raul Asencio could all be available after recovering from their issues.
Jude Bellingham is back in full training after recovering from a hamstring injury and may make the bench.
Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Mendoza are unavailable due to injuries, and goalkeeper Jan Oblak is a major doubt due to a hip problem, with Juan Musso likely to start between the sticks.
Defender Marc Pubill is also a doubt as rib pain caused him to miss out on the midweek game against Spurs, as well as a call-up to the Spanish national team for the upcoming international break.
Diego Simeone’s side reach Copa del Rey final for the first time since 2013 with 4-3 aggregate semifinal victory.
Published On 3 Mar 20263 Mar 2026
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Atletico Madrid struggled through a 3-0 Copa del Rey semifinal second leg defeat at Barcelona, but scraped into the final 4-3 on aggregate.
The Spanish champions almost produced a comeback for the ages on Tuesday after their 4-0 first-leg defeat in early February, but fell just short at Camp Nou.
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Eighteen-year-old Marc Bernal netted twice for the record 32-time winners, and Raphinha scored a penalty, as Barcelona tried in vain to claw back the lead for Diego Simeone’s side.
Atletico, who clung on desperately in the final stages, returned to the final for the first time since 2013.
They will face Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao, who meet on Wednesday in the second semifinal leg.
Barcelona came out flying, and Fermin Lopez’s long-range effort just over the bar set the tone, as Hansi Flick’s side threw everything they had at a potential comeback.
They were dealt an early setback when Jules Kounde went off injured in the opening stages. Antoine Griezmann came close against his former side, as Atletico threatened on the counterattack.
Ferran Torres fired wide and had a shot saved low at the near post by Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso before Barcelona took the lead.
Teenage player Lamine Yamal drilled across the face of the goal for Bernal to finish from close range, with one 18-year-old setting up another.
Ademola Lookman headed narrowly off-target for Atletico and came to rue the miss as Barca doubled their advantage before the interval.
Spain midfielder Pedri was tripped in the box by Marc Pubill, and Raphinha sent Musso the wrong way from the spot.
Joao Cancelo almost grabbed the third, but his shot was beaten away by Musso at full stretch, with Diego Simeone’s team on the ropes.
Bernal set up a frantic finale when he volleyed home Cancelo’s swirling cross to take Barca within one goal of the crumbling Rojiblancos.
Flick put centre-back Ronald Araujo up front for the final stages, in search of a fourth goal to “make the impossible possible”, as he called on his team to do before the game.
Gerard Martin hammered narrowly over the bar as Barca turned the screw, with fans roaring the team on through six minutes of stoppage time.
The Rojiblancos fended off Barca and booked their place in the Seville final on April 18.
Musso said getting through to the final was the most important thing.
“Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world, but we got through,” he said after the game.
“We are going to the final; we will give our everything, and get the Copa del Rey.”
Meanwhile, Raphinha said he was proud of his teammates, even if they just fell short.
“The fans could see we gave everything we had. You have to understand, we were up against a side who were defending [well] and doing what they needed to do… We did everything possible, but lacked a little bit,” he said.
“What happened today is in the past. We wanted to get in the final, but it happens … For now, we will go for the La Liga and Champions League [titles].”
