Angel Correa’s 95th-minute equalizer rescued Atletico Madrid a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in a dramatic La Liga derby on Sunday. After a tense VAR review, the Argentine forward’s perfectly timed run was confirmed, ensuring Atletico snatched a point from their city rivals.
Real Madrid, missing their injured star striker Kylian Mbappe, largely controlled the game, taking the lead through Eder Militao midway through the second half. However, the match was briefly halted for around 15 minutes when Atletico fans threw objects, including lighters, at Real Madrid players. Marcos Llorente, the Atletico midfielder, was also sent off near the end of the game.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti supported the referee’s decision to pause the match, stating, “It was a correct decision from the referee, he had to stop the game… and then it started again, it was correctly done.”
Correa’s late goal moved Atletico Madrid into third place, while Real Madrid stayed in second, three points behind league leaders Barcelona, who had lost to Osasuna the previous day. Ancelotti expressed optimism despite conceding the late goal, saying, “We were very close to winning but this can happen, the opponent is very strong… I think that we’ve gained a point on the leaders.”
Despite the draw, Real Madrid extended their unbeaten streak in La Liga to 40 games, with their last loss coming over a year ago against Atletico. In this encounter, Real Madrid was largely dominant, with veteran Luka Modric stepping in for the injured Mbappe.
The first half saw few clear chances, although Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid’s goalkeeper and a former Atletico player, made a key save against Julian Alvarez. Fede Valverde also came close twice, with Atletico keeper Jan Oblak denying a long-range effort and watching a free-kick fly just wide.
Real Madrid finally broke through in the 64th minute when Militao connected with a Vinicius Junior cross, helped by a deflection off Llorente, leaving Oblak with no chance. Despite Real’s control, Correa’s last-minute heroics salvaged a valuable point for Atletico.
Fan trouble marred the Madrid derby as Atletico Madrid supporters threw lighters and other objects at Real Madrid players, including goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The match was temporarily suspended as Diego Simeone, along with captain Koke and Jose Maria Gimenez, tried to calm the crowd behind Madrid’s goal. The officials sent the players into the dressing rooms for around 15 minutes before the game resumed.
When play resumed, Jan Oblak made a crucial save from a low shot by Vinicius Junior, and Endrick narrowly missed a chance to extend Madrid’s lead. However, in injury time, Angel Correa managed to get behind Antonio Rudiger and bundled in the equalizer, earning Atletico a point.
Atletico finished the game with 10 men after Marcos Llorente’s foul on Fran Garcia, but they held on for the draw. Simeone subtly criticized Courtois for celebrating Madrid’s goal while looking at Atletico fans. “You can celebrate a goal but not by looking at the fans, having a go, making gestures like that,” Simeone told DAZN. He added that Real Madrid supporters had thrown lighters at Courtois when he played for Atletico in the past.
Real Madrid faced more concerns as Courtois appeared to have a muscle issue towards the end of the game, with coach Carlo Ancelotti confirming that the goalkeeper would undergo assessment.
In other La Liga action, Real Betis beat Espanyol 1-0, Sevilla secured a late draw against Athletic Bilbao, and Girona drew 1-1 with Celta Vigo.
