Atletico Madrid’s Angel Correa scored an equalizer deep into added time against Real Madrid to steal a 1-1 draw on Sunday in a La Liga match that was stopped for over 20 minutes after home fans threw objects onto the field. Five minutes after the visitors’ goal, scored by defender Eder Militao, the match was called off in the 69th minute when Atletico ultras Fondo Sur threw objects at Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, alerting the referee.
The players returned to the field after a more than 20-minute break, and Atletico immediately applied pressure. In the fifth minute of extra time, a counterattack by replacement Correa resulted in a close-range goal to tie the game. Real Madrid is currently in second place in the rankings after playing eight games, three points behind Barcelona and two ahead of Atletico in third.
With star forward Kylian Mbappé sidelined by a leg injury, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti decided to add the near-40-year-old Luka Modric to bolster the midfield. As a result, a more balanced team dominated play for most of it but could not convert their superiority into goals. Readjusting to the loss of legendary midfielder Toni Kroos, who retired in July after playing for Germany at Euro 2024 on home soil, has been Real’s largest challenge this season.
As Jude Bellingham transitioned to an attacking midfield role and Modric grew older, Federico Valverde of Uruguay stepped up to take over Kroos’s playmaking duties in the middle of the pitch. Like a ball magnet, Valverde was the source of almost all Real Madrid’s threatening movements. He would either pass the ball to Bellingham, Rodrygo, or Vinicius Junior upfront or shoot long-range right-foot rockets at goal himself. In a first half in which the home team’s defense produced few counterattacks, Valverde came dangerously close to scoring three goals for Real Madrid.
Manager Diego Simeone’s substitution of Brazilian jet-heeled winger Samuel Lino after halftime made Atletico livelier. Lino gave them the energy they had been lacking in the first half. However, as the home team appeared to be getting closer to scoring, Vinícius sprinted past Rodrigo De Paul on the left flank and crossed to the far post, where Militao, who was unmarked, pulled the ball down before launching an incredible half-volley past goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer stopped the game and told the players to head to the changing rooms as the stadium announcer threatened to cancel the game if the players’ celebration of their goal sent dozens of lighters and bottles flying onto the field. Following the break, the game continued, with Atlético applying more pressure. However, Real substitute Endrick came dangerously close to giving the visitors a 2-0 lead with a long-range effort after a counterattack in the 89th minute that went just past the post.
However, six minutes later, Correa ran past Courtois and tapped into the empty net to rescue a point for Simeone’s team after replacement Javi Galan’s pass pierced the middle of Real’s defense. After Marcos Llorente was sent off for a tackle from behind on Fran García, Atlético ended the game with ten men.
These are matches with a lot of tension and a lot of intensity, Atletico captain Koke said after finishing a tense match. It was a very tense moment. This can’t happen on a football pitch. We are footballers and professionals, and we have to be intelligent. But four people can’t pay for the rest of the stadium, the Spanish midfielder added.
Meanwhile, Real Betis defeated Espanyol 1-0 in a La Liga derby on Sunday night. Argentine attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso scored the lone goal of the match in the 85th minute. With a win, Betis grabbed the eighth spot on the table.
