"It was a deserved defeat" - Xabi Alonso makes honest admission after Real Madrid's 5-2 humbling at hands of rivals Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has admitted that his side deserved their 5-2 thrashing at the hands of rivals Atletico Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday. Los Blancos suffered their first defeat of the season at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, with Atleti ending their seven-game unbeaten run.

Alonso spoke with the media after his side lost their derby game on Saturday, pointing out that everything went wrong with the game from the start. He admitted that his team did not do well enough, putting this down to their being in a rebuild, and promised to learn from what had transpired.

“It was a bad match. We didn’t start well, we didn’t play well collectively, nor in terms of the quality of our play with and without the ball. We are in a rebuilding phase, today is our first defeat and this will continue. We have to learn from what happened, because it will surely serve us well in the future. But there are no excuses. We’re hurt, as are the fans. It was a derby and it was a deserved defeat. We weren’t… in the game, we lacked a gear… the defeat hurts.

Well, yes, but it’s still a positive for the future. But yes, we didn’t start well. In the duels, in the balls into space… we were too defeatist. Then, with the ball, we couldn’t find solutions either. The game wasn’t flowing and well… that’s it, it was a bad game overall. A deserved defeat.”

Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have had contrasting starts to the 2025-26 season, with Diego Simeone's men often left struggling to find the killer blow in games. They had won just two of their first six league games, needing inspiration from Julian Alvarez to win their second on matchday six. Real Madrid, on the other hand, looked unstoppable with six wins from six in the league and another in the UEFA Champions League.

Alvarez was key again for Los Colchoneros as they put their neighbours to the sword, with the Argentina international scoring two of their goals. Xabi Alonso's side will now have to find their rhythm once again, starting with a trip to Kazakhstan to face Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Real Madrid concede five goals to rivals for the first time since 1950

Real Madrid suffered their worst defeat to Atletico Madrid in 75 years as Los Colchoneros claimed a 5-2 victory at home. The shocking result saw Diego Simeone's men end their rivals' perfect start to the 2025-26 season.

Atleti went ahead in the first half through Robin Le Normand, before goals from Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler put Alonso's side ahead. Alexander Sorloth scored in first half added time to ensure that the game was level at the break.

Simeone's side took charge of the second period, with Julian Alvarez netting twice to take his tally to five goals in just two games. Antoine Griezmann added a fifth in stoppage time to conclude the scoring in the game.