Kylian Mbappe salvaged a 1-1 draw for Real Madrid against city rivals Atletico Madrid to keep Los Blancos top of La Liga.
Julian Alvarez dinked home a controversial first-half penalty for Atletico on Saturday, but Mbappe was in the right place at the right time to bundle home in his first appearance in the tense derby clash.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe (2-R) celebrates with teammate Vinicius Jr (R) after scoring the 1-1 goal during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (Pic – EPA/Juanjo Martin)
Reigning champions Real lead second-place Atletico by a single point with El Classico rivals Barcelona in third.
Atletico shaded a tight first half but were left holding on in the second period as the hosts stepped up a gear at the Santiago Bernabeu. Jude Bellingham came close to sealing a comeback win as he twice went close with headed chances.
“The team is disappointed because they think they deserved more but we’re happy because we’re still leaders,” Ancelotti said afterwards. “In the second half we had total control, we had a lot of chances.”
Ancelotti’s side were left raging when referee Cesar Soto Grado pointed to the penalty spot after Aurelien Tchouameni, covering at centre-back for Madrid with Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao out, conceded a penalty after it was ruled he unfairly challenged Samuel Lino in the box.
After a VAR review, Soto Grado awarded a controversial penalty, much to the white side of Madrid’s frustration, with the incident happening after the ball had run past the duo.
Alvarez took the penalty, the first given against Ancelotti’s side in La Liga this season and cheekily executed a Panenka down the middle.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee. We deserved more, especially in the second half. We had control and we created a lot. The penalty affected the team in a first half that was slower and less aggressive compared to the second. However, we left with good feelings,” said the Italian tactician.
“The VAR gave the penalty. The referee was very close to the action and saw what happened very well. I saw a similar penalty in Athletic-Girona. Football people don’t understand this.
“I don’t want to cause controversy. The match was close and competitive like all derbies. We came out with a draw, but we are encouraged because we did well in the second half.
“In terms of commitment, we were good. Everyone has sacrificed, battled, fought and retrieved a tricky game. When Atletico were ahead, they played their game by defending and hitting us with counterattacks. They are very dangerous there, but we handled it well. At the back, the two centre-backs were excellent. We recovered after the penalty and were very close to winning the game.”
“Corruption in the federation,” chanted Real Madrid fans in response to falling behind, buying into their club’s stance.
The league leaders pulled level early in the second half when Rodrygo broke loose on the right of the box and crossed for Bellingham.
The England international’s shot was blocked but Mbappe was on hand to turn home the rebound and score on his first Madrid derby appearance.
As for Atleti’s firebrand coach Diego Simeone – he thought that both sides were full value for three points and that the match was a balanced one.
“We had a good first half, but we weren’t relaxed enough in front of goal to score more,” said Simeone. “In the end, it was a draw in which both teams think they could have taken more from it.”
Real Madrid face another big challenge on Tuesday when they travel to face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League play-off round first leg.
