A commanding performance from start to finish earned Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid on Saturday night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Casemiro opened the scoring for Los Blancos in the first half via a header, before a second half rocket from Dani Carvajal resulted in a Jan Oblak own goal to complete the scoring.
For the defending league champions, it was another top display after their midweek dominance against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League, while for Atletico it was a missed opportunity to make a big statement and extend their lead atop the LaLiga Santander table over their city rivals.
Carvajal made his return to the line-up, so Zinedine Zidane shifted Lucas Vazquez forward to right winger, meaning Rodrygo was relegated to the bench while Vinicius paired with Karim Benzema up top.
As for the visitors, the notable inclusion in the starting XI was Mexican midfielder Hector Herrera ahead of Saul.
Real Madrid had the first crack at goal, with Benzema firing a wicked left-footed effort that Oblak managed to tip onto the post and out. Los Blancos kept the pressure on and they were handsomely rewarded when a corner kick swung in by Toni Kroos met the rising Casemiro who, with very little resistance from the Atletico defence, smacked a header into net for a 1-0 lead.
Atletico tried to get more of a foothold in the match, but the Real Madrid defence was holding steady and kept Simeone’s attacking trio well under wraps for the remainder of the half.
The Argentine manager did not hesitate to make a number of changes during intermission, with Thomas Lemar, Renan Lodi and Angel Correa all coming on for Felipe, Hector Herrera and Yannick Carrasco respectively.
Atletico looked better after the changes, but the finishing from Lemar off a deep cross from Marcos Llorente left a lot to be desired, with a left-footer squirting wide.
Simeone made his fourth substitution at the hour mark, as the frustrated Joao Felix gave up his spot to Saul, but it was Real Madrid who would strike next as a hammer blow from Carvajal pinged off the post, struck the back of Oblak and spun into goal for a 2-0 advantage.
Zidane still hadn’t made a change by the time Simeone made his fifth, with former Barcelona man Luis Suarez yielding his spot to Geoffrey Kondogbia. The French coach then finally went to his bench for the final 15 minutes, with Marco Asensio and Rodrygo coming on for Carvajal and Vinicius.
A header from Saul that was saved by Courtois, followed by a Lemar shot that went searing over the crossbar, summed up the frustrations felt by Atletico in their hopes of pulling a goal back.
On this night, it was all Real Madrid, as the defending league champions kept Los Colchoneros at bay until the final whistle, issuing a stern reminder that they are still the team to beat in LaLiga Santander.
Match Sheet:
2.- Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal (Asensio, min. 79), Varane, Sergio Ramos, Mendy; Casemiro, Modric (Fede Valverde, min. 88), Kroos, Lucas Vazquez, Vinicius (Rodrygo, min. 79), Benzema.
0.- Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Trippier, Savic, Felipe (Lemar, min. 46), Hermoso; Llorente, Herrera (Renan Lodi, min. 46), Koke, Carrasco (Correa, min. 46); Joao Felix (Saul, min. 60), Luis Suarez (Kondogbia, min. 73).
Goals: 1-0, min. 15: Casemiro; 2-0, min. 63: Oblak (og)
Referee: Mateu Lahoz (Valencian).
Yellow cards: Casemiro (Min. 36) for Real Madrid, Lemar (Min. 46) for Atletico, Correa (Min. 50) for Atletico, Savic (Min. 61) for Atletico
Red cards: None
Stadium: Alfredo di Stefano
Attendance: 0
