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Real Madrid welcomed crosstown-rivals Atletico Madrid to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for this season’s first Madrid derby in La Liga on Sunday night. Real Madrid were pulled close by Atletico Madrid early on but ultimately bagged a rather comfortable 2-0 win.
The straightforward win saw Real Madrid extend their lead at the summit to eight points. Los Blancos currently have a 13-point lead over reigning champions Atletico and an 18-point advantage over eighth-placed Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid were determined to bag a win against Carlo Ancelotti’s men at the Bernabeu and it showed in the opening minutes. Atletico played deep for the majority of the match but did push up on certain occasions to upset Real's gameplay. Unfortunately, Real Madrid’s excellent counter-attacking crushed Atletico’s chances of walking away with a point from the Bernabeu.
Just as Atletico were looking to dominate proceedings, Real Madrid hit them with an excellent counter-attack in the first half. Karim Benzema’s sweetly-struck volley gave Jan Oblak no chance and put the hosts ahead.
Real Madrid’s second goal was identical to the first, with Vinicius Junior once again turning provider. The Brazilian broke free and set up Marco Asensio for Real Madrid’s final goal of the match in the 57th minute.
After the goal, Real Madrid’s capable midfielders stepped up to the task and kept Atletico’s passers from creating threatening chances.
Here are the top five players who ensured a comfortable win for Real Madrid against Atletico on Sunday night:
#5 Karim Benzema
Real Madrid and La Liga’s leading goalscorer this season, Karim Benzema, was doubtful for the clash against Atletico. However, the Frenchman not only started for the hosts but also scored a brilliant goal in the 16th minute.
Benzema received an intelligent cross from Vinicius and let it fly on the volley. His impeccable technique gave Atletico stopper Jan Oblak no chance. After a good first half, Benzema was subbed out for Luka Jovic at the start of the second 45.
#4 Toni Kroos
Since moving from Bayern Munich in 2014, Toni Kroos has been a constant presence in Real Madrid's midfield. The German does not always score or assist, but often emerges as one of Real Madrid’s most important players. Last night, we witnessed another instance of Kroos’ perceptive midfield performance, which proved to be decisive against Los Rojiblancos.
Kroos kept the ball moving from one flank to another, never allowing Atletico defenders a moment of peace. He took 111 touches, completed 90 passes, and made one key pass. He also drew five fouls against Atletico, regularly thwarting the opposition’s advancements.
#3 Thibaut Courtois
Real Madrid were in control of proceedings against Atletico Madrid, but that does not mean Atletico did not try their luck at goal. The visitors simply came up short as they could not get the better of Real Madrid’s undisputed number 1: Thibaut Courtois.
Courtois enjoyed a rather uneventful first-half and was only called into action once in the first 45. However, in the second half, he had to be on his toes on several occasions.
The Belgian shot-stopper made four saves from inside the box in the second 45. He also made two clearances and won an aerial duel en route to his fourth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions.
#2 Luka Modric
Luka Modric did not score or assist for Real Madrid against Atletico on Sunday but still emerged as one of their most influential performers. The 36-year-old is defying the odds by being this good in the twilight of his career. It was as if he was teaching all aspiring footballers a lesson in midfield mastery.
The Croatian captain was all over the pitch for Real Madrid on Sunday. He linked up effortlessly with Toni Kroos, kept the game flowing, and was regularly dropping deep to cover for Dani Carvajal.
Over the course of the match, Modric took 95 touches, provided seven long balls, completed four dribbles, won nine duels, and made three interceptions. The Croatian was unplayable both in attack and defense, proving conclusively that for him, age is nothing but a number.
#1 Vinicius Junior
From an indecisive teenager to one of Real Madrid’s most lethal forwards — Vinicius Junior’s transition has been nothing short of extraordinary. The young Brazilian has been at the heart of every impressive passage of play this season and the trend continued against Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Despite being monitored closely by former Real Madrid man Marcos Llorente, Vinicius Jr. created both of Los Blancos’ goals against Atletico. In the 16th minute, Vinicius got the ball in the middle of the park and darted down the right flank. He lobbed the ball cutely into the Atletico box, allowing Benzema to dispatch a venomous volley and wheel away in celebration.
His second assist of the night came in the 57th minute, thanks to Luka Jovic’s smart hold-up play. Having received the ball from the Serbian, Vinicius went around Llorente to curl the ball into Asensio inside the box. The Spaniard hit it the first time to tank Atletico for good. Setting up two goals in the match took Vinicius’ assists-tally to nine in all competitions.
