Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Atlético Madrid: Repeated History Condemns Los Blancos

The first Madrid derby of the season ended in a 2–1 defeat for Real Madrid, who went down to 10 men in the second half after Dean Huijsen received his marching orders.

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After losing 5–2 at the Metropolitano last season, Los Blancos were in desperate need of a redemptive outing against Diego Simeone’s men. Except they once again fell short against their bitter rivals in a hostile affair on Sunday.

There wasn’t much to set either side apart in the first half, but everything changed after the restart. Huijsen was sent off in the 52nd minute after a careless challenge denied Giuliano Simeone a goalscoring opportunity. Alejandro Grimaldo buried the penalty that came in the aftermath, before Jonathan David doubled his side’s lead in the 59th minute.

Real Madrid hardly looked capable-or interested-in fighting back. Antonio Rüdiger headed home a consolation goal just before stoppage time to make the scoreline look a little less ugly, but it did nothing to erase another poor performance from José Mourinho’s men.

The 15-time European champions are now six points behind La Liga-leaders Barcelona and must go into the international break off the back of a bitter defeat.

The Moment That Changed the Game

A tense, physical first half ended goalless at the Metropolitano. Neither side walked down the tunnel with the upper hand after 45 minutes with just one shot on target. There was all to play for in the second half for both teams … until the 52nd minute.

Dávid Hancko played a clever ball over the top to find a streaking Simeone. Huijsen was completely caught out, left chasing after the Argentine as he headed straight for Thibaut Courtois.

In a desperate attempt to stop Simeone, Huijsen wrapped up the forward’s arm and pulled him to the ground. The referee immediately awarded a penalty to Atlético Madrid and showed the defender a yellow card. A quick VAR review quickly changed that caution to red, matching the shade of shame on Huijsen’s face.

The Spaniard left his team with 10 men for nearly the entire second half, throwing away the game-and as crazy as it sounds, potentially the league-in the process. Atlético Madrid were up 2–0 before the hour-mark and Los Blancos had no hope of salvaging a result.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Atlético Madrid (4-3-2-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois–7.9: Barely tested in the first half and then spent the second half under constant pressure. Had it not been for some spectacular saves, the scoreline would have looked much worse.

RB: Denzel Dumfries–6.6: Found himself playing as a right winger for much of the first half … except none of Real Madrid’s attack unfolds down the right. A step off the pace defensively when the team was at full strength and things only got worse playing down a man.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté–7.3: Lucky a slip inside his own penalty area didn’t cost his side a goal in the first half. Made a sensational goal-line clearance to keep the deficit at two in the second half.

CB: Dean Huijsen–5.5: Haunted by the demons of last season’s Madrid derby nightmare. Delivered a strong first half and then received his marching orders soon after the restart. Showed his youth and his inexperience.

LB: Marc Cucurella–6.8: A mixed outing against Simeone. Desperate for help at times, but Vinícius Júnior was uninterested. Easily bested by the Argentine in the build-up to the hosts’ second goal.

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DM: Federico Valverde–6.7: Mopped up defensively. Contributed virtually nothing to the attack and had no grasp on the game from midfield.

DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni–6.9: Slow decision making earned him some shouts from Arda Güler in the first half. Two off-target shots were about all he brought to the game.

RW: Arda Güler–6.5: Lost possession a few carless times. A hostile, physical battle with Álex Baena limited his opportunities to create. Botched a great counter attack after the restart and was pulled minutes later.

AM: Jude Bellingham–7.9: Made trademark runs into the box but had no service from his teammates. Channeled his inner defender to help his backline withstand constant pressure. One of the only players in white showing any type of heart.

LW: Vinícius Júnior–6.4: Reached a low point. Completed just eight passes, did not register a shot on target and did not create a single chance. Showed no effort defensively. Quickly replaced before the hour-mark after Huijsen’s red.

ST: Kylian Mbappé–6.6: Spent much of the first half dropping deep just to sniff the ball, but a swarm of red and white shirts made sure he found no success. Not much he could do once the team went down to 10.

SUB: Yan Diomande(54′ for Vinícius Jr)–6.7: Did what he could to bring a spark to a helpless team.

SUB: Antonio Rüdiger (54′ for Güler)–7.2: Came on and the team almost immediately conceded a goal. Scored a consolation in the dying stages.

SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (71′ forTchouaméni)–6.6: Tidy in possession and made four tackles in just 19 minutes on the pitch.

SUB: Bernardo Silva (82′ for Bellingham)–N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Álvaro Carreras, Raúl Asencio, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Brahim Díaz, Carlos Espí, Endrick.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Vinícius Júnior is having a poor start to the season. The Brazil international has just one goal to his name in eight appearances and is playing without his trademark confidence. He never looked a threat on the ball and was easily nullified by the defense. His lackadaisical efforts tracking back in a game as big as a Madrid derby only sent his stock in one direction.
• It was also shades of 2025–26 for Jude Bellingham. The 23-year-old was constantly dropping back to help out in defense, making tackles inside his own box and putting his body on the line in midfield battles. His impact up top was therefore limited, but he had no choice-no one else was willing to roll up their sleeves and do the dirty work.
• What does Yan Diomande have to do to start? The record-breaking summer signing was one of the best players in white against Elche midweek and would have given the team some much-needed width out wide. Instead, he once again sat on the bench until the game was too far gone.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Lifeless Defeat

• Real Madrid settled for frustrated shots from distance in the first half, never truly testing goalkeeper Jan Oblak. They managed just one shot on target in the opening 45 minutes-and it was a long range effort from Güler.
• The referee’s whistle greatly disrupted the contest. The two teams committed a combined 25 fouls, which prevented both sides from establishing any type of rhythm.
• Los Blancos tallied a higher xG (0.19) in the second half when they had 10 men than their 0.13 xG in the first half.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Atlético Madrid: Repeated History Condemns Los Blancos.

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 12:36 PM.