Real Madrid relieved after Atletico Madrid win – ‘They left us alive’

Real Madrid came out victors on a sixth straight occasion in European competition against city rivals Atletico Madrid this week. Although they have authored a number of close escapes against Los Colchoneros in the Champions League, this one was different in that it was not their own heroics that got them out of dodge.

“Once again, we started as if we had already won, and in the first minute they equalised. That pisses us off,” the Fede Valverde explained to Relevo after the game. They say that Los Blancos were delighted with their win, naturally, but there was an element of self-criticism after a performance that left a lot to be desired.

🚨🇦🇷 JUST IN: Rodrigo De Paul’s availability against Barcelona is in doubt. The club is working to ensure he can play without any issues. He is making an effort to be fit for Sunday.@mundodeportivo pic.twitter.com/UBZ73YuhTv

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 14, 2025

The Real Madrid hierarchy spent the game in nervous silence say Marca, and but after the penalties and amid the relief, President Florentino Perez went down to the dressing room to congratulate his charges. Amidst the celebrations, one of the loudest shouts was ‘They played like never before, they lost like always,’ referring to their rivals.

In his post-match interview, Thibaut Courtois admitted that it was not Real Madrid’s finest performance, but Relevo explain that behind the scenes, the tone was much more critical. “It helped that Atleti didn’t want to go for the game more. Until the final minutes, when they let us in, we didn’t do well at all,” one of the Real Madrid staff commented.

Their report goes on to comment that Los Blancos barely showed up for the first 70 minutes, and Carlo Ancelotti’s solutions, with the exception of Eduardo Camavinga’s introduction, did little to help. Relying on the front four for magic, the lack of cohesion was a concern for Real Madrid.

Certainly there is a feeling that Real Madrid were a long way from their best. While Real Madrid did miss a penalty that could have turned the game around, it was not Thibaut Courtois’ heroics in the penalty shootout that led to their victory, but Marcos Llorente’s effort coming off the underside of the bar, and Julian Alvarez’s double-touch penalty. Although Real Madrid did find away, there was little sense that they defended well or attacked near their capacity.