Real Madrid squandered the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the La Liga standings, settling for a 1-1 draw in Sunday’s Madrid derby as Marcos Llorente’s stoppage-time equalizer denied them victory.
Brahim Diaz opened the scoring in the first half, seemingly setting Real Madrid on course for a comfortable win. However, Llorente’s commanding header in the 93rd minute ensured the spoils were shared.
The draw sees Real Madrid maintain a two-point lead at the summit of the table as they prepare to face title rivals Girona on Saturday.
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Preceding the game, Real Madrid faced a setback as Vinicius Junior succumbed to injury in the warm-up. Amid conflicting reports about his fitness, Joselu was initially set to replace him, but it was ultimately Brahim who featured in the starting lineup.
In an energetic first half, Alvaro Morata tested Andriy Lunin early on, but it was Brahim who provided the breakthrough, poking the ball beyond Jan Oblak after 20 minutes. VAR confirmed Lucas Vazquez’s onside position in the build-up.
Atletico’s defensive lapses continued as Axel Witsel and Stefan Savic missed opportunities to level the score. Lucas Vazquez and Brahim caused further trouble for Atletico before the halftime whistle.
Three minutes into the second half, Atletico believed they had equalized when Savic headed home from a corner, but the goal was disallowed due to Saul Niguez obstructing the goalkeeper from an offside position.
Oblak thwarted Rodrygo on the counter, and Brahim narrowly missed a solo goal opportunity, leaving two Atletico defenders in his wake but curling his shot wide.
Despite Atletico’s attempts to find a late equalizer lacking creativity, Llorente’s powerful header in deep stoppage time salvaged a draw for them.