Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
Real Madrid salvaged a 1-1 draw against city rivals Atletico Madrid in LaLiga today with Kylian Mbappe scoring a second-half goal to cancel out Julian Alvarez’s first-half opener for the visiting side.
That kept Real top of LaLiga on 50 points, one ahead of Atletico in second who missed a chance to leapfrog them. Barcelona, third on 45 points, visit Sevilla on Sunday with a chance to close the gap in the title race.
In a tale of two halves at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Atletico dominated the first 45 minutes and took the lead when Alvarez struck a 35th minute penalty after Aurelien Tchouameni had fouled Samuel Lino inside the box.
Real roared back after the break, with Mbappe striking home a rebound in the 50th minute to level the game. But they were frustrated in their attempt to grab a win by an imperious Jan Oblak, who made a string of stunning saves.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico arrived in fine form, having won 19 of their previous 21 games in all competitions and they showed why they have the best defence in Europe’s top five leagues with 15 goals conceded in 23 games.
On Saturday, despite missing defensive stalwart Robin Le Normand to suspension, Simeone’s side was once again rock-solid at the back, frustrating Real’s stellar attack who were unable to create a single shot on target in the first half.
