Huijsen's red card decided the derby, but Madrid had created almost nothing before it.
The numbers
| Real Madrid | Atlético de Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 39% | 61% |
| Shots | 8 | 18 |
| xG | 0.3 | 2.35 |
| Touches in opp. box | 14 | 37 |
Result the chances deserved: Real Madrid 3% / 13% / Atlético de Madrid 84% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Courtois, Dumfries, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella, Valverde, Tchouaméni, Güler, Bellingham, Vinícius Jr, Mbappé.
Atlético de Madrid (3-4-2-1): Oblak, Pubill, Romero, Hancko, G. Simeone, Llorente, Cardoso, Grimaldo, Lee Kang-in, Baena, J. David.
Atlético subs: Koke (46', Pubill), Julián Álvarez (62', David), Lookman (67', Baena), Le Normand & Hjulmand (89'). Atlético manager: Diego Simeone. Huijsen sent off 52' (initially booked; upgraded to red after the referee checked the monitor). Madrid's shape as listed by FotMob; one ratings piece (Yahoo) describes Valverde and Güler as wide midfielders.
Key moments, move by move
- Hancko plays a long diagonal pass over Madrid's left side.
- Giuliano Simeone runs into the gap between Cucurella and Huijsen.
- Huijsen pulls him back inside the box. After a VAR check the yellow becomes a red card.
- Grimaldo scores the penalty.
- With an extra man, Atlético work the ball out to the right.
- Giuliano Simeone gets to the byline and crosses low.
- David finishes from close range with his left foot.
- Bernardo Silva, on for seven minutes, delivers a free kick into the box.
- Rüdiger heads it in from the centre of the box, low by the left post.
Atlético's overload on Madrid's left
- The plan: Simeone aimed his team at the space between Cucurella and Huijsen, sending Giuliano Simeone, Llorente and Pubill into that area together (YSScores). The penalty and red card came from exactly that move: Hancko's long pass and Giuliano's run behind (beIN describes Huijsen as 'caught out by David Hancko's searching pass').
- No help for Cucurella: Vinícius stayed high rather than tracking back, and Cucurella was often left one against two (Yahoo ratings). Vinícius lost four of his seven duels (beIN).
- No ball, no transitions: Madrid had 39% possession and 14 touches in Atlético's box. Mbappé had one shot, which missed. Simeone said afterwards that his team had controlled 'almost all' of Madrid's transitions.
- Before the red: the first half was cagey. Atlético had 0.19 xG before the break (Opta) and there was one shot on target in total. Koke came on at half-time and Atlético started moving the ball from side to side. The red card came seven minutes later.
Recreate it in FM26
Atlético de Madrid · Atlético de Madrid's overload on Real Madrid's left · 3-4-2-1Show cardHide card
Atlético de Madrid's overload on Real Madrid's left
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Oblak | Goalkeeper | Line-Holding Keeper |
| RCB | Pubill | Overlapping Centre-Back | Stopping Wide Centre-Back |
| CB | Romero | Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LCB | Hancko | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Wide Centre-Back |
| RWB | G. Simeone | Advanced Wing-Back | Wing-Back |
| RCM | Llorente | Channel Midfielder | Central Midfielder |
| LCM | Cardoso | Central Midfielder | Screening Central Midfielder |
| LWB | Grimaldo | Playmaking Wing-Back | Wing-Back |
| RAM | Lee Kang-in | Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LAM | Baena | Attacking Midfielder | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| ST | J. David | Centre Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Progress ThroughRight
- Supporting RunsOne Flank
- Attacking WidthWider
- Attacking TransitionPatient Build-Up
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementMid Block
- Defensive LineStandard
- TacklingAggressive
The idea: Aim everything at the gap between Real Madrid's left-back and left centre-back: Giuliano Simeone runs in behind as an Advanced Wing-Back, with Llorente and Pubill pushing into the same channel so Cucurella faces two or three players. Hancko's long diagonal is the trigger. You need a quick, direct right wing-back and a left-sided centre-back who can hit a 40-metre pass.
What FM26 can't copy: Koke came on for Pubill at half-time and Llorente dropped to right-back; reports differ on Pubill's first-half role, so treat that row as approximate.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-4-2, Patient possession, Camavinga on at 46' (for Güler). Fix the left side first by making Vinícius track back and adding Camavinga at half-time, then keep the ball instead of waiting to break. Madrid would still be underdogs, but the 2.35 conceded came from one planned move. It moves Real Madrid's win chance from 3% to 14% (xG 0.30–2.35 becomes 0.60–1.55). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Real Madrid needed
Eduardo Camavinga
Madrid's two problems were the one-against-two on their left and having no ball. Camavinga has played left-back as well as midfield, so from the start he could cover Cucurella's side and still carry the ball past Atlético's first line.
Nuno Mendes
Atlético's plan was a long ball into the space behind Madrid's left-back. Mendes has the recovery pace to catch Giuliano Simeone's run, and he carries the ball out himself, which Madrid needed with 39% possession.
What the analysts said
“Those were two clear red cards… we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against nine would have been like if justice had been done.”José Mourinho, on Romero and Lee Kang-in (Sky Sports)
“As for Huijsen's red card, I must confess I haven't seen it yet.”José Mourinho (Real Madrid)
“We stopped an opponent that has incredible transitions, we controlled almost all of those transitions.”Diego Simeone (Goal / LiveScore)
“Not everything is permissible, even if your name is Mourinho.”Diego Simeone, replying to the referee complaints (Goal / LiveScore)
“It was obviously very difficult to keep the ball and control possession against a good team with an extra player.”José Mourinho, on the second half (Real Madrid)
The red card decided the score. Atlético's plan decided the game.
What's happening. Atlético won the derby 2–1 after Huijsen was sent off. Mourinho focused on the referee, and he may have a point about two stamps. But with eleven players, Madrid had created almost nothing.
How it works. Simeone aimed his attack at one gap: the space between Madrid's left-back Cucurella and left centre-back Huijsen. Three Atlético players kept pushing into it, and Vinícius stayed high, so Cucurella often faced two men alone. The long diagonal and the run behind Huijsen that led to the red card were the planned move, not a lucky break.
What the shots say. Replaying every shot, Atlético win almost nine times in ten. Madrid didn't make a single big chance; Atlético made three. This was Madrid's lowest-chance game of the season by far, and it came against the only opponent so far with a specific plan for them.