Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, right, heads the ball past Real Madrid’s Nacho during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
There was more of the same in the latest Madrid derby at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Again, Real Madrid avoided defeat. Again, Atletico Madrid complained about the refereeing.
Madrid scored late to draw 1-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday, and extend its unbeaten streak against the city rival at home to seven years.
Atletico played with 10 men from the 64th minute after forward Ángel Correa was shown a disputed red card for elbowing Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger.
“Nothing new at the Bernabéu,” Atletico tweeted after the match. It also complained about the officiating after a Copa del Rey loss at the Bernabéu last month.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone said Correa’s action was not harsh enough to merit a red card.
“There was contact but it was not a strike,” Simeone said. “Rüdiger immediately got up. Maybe it was yellow, but it was not enough to take a player out of the game. There wouldn’t be any players left if they always called that. This keeps happening all the time against us, it has become normal, and that’s not right. It would be nice to be able to compete under the same conditions. Every time we come here, the calls go against us.”
Atletico also posted on Twitter a photo of a bloody leg of whom it called “our aggressor” during the match. “Still nothing new at the Bernabéu,” it added.
“Five derbies in a row with a red card,” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak said. “Maybe the next one we start with 10 men.”
Teenage Madrid striker Álvaro Rodríguez scored in the 85th minute after Atletico opened through José María Giménez in the 78th and was poised to end its winless drought at the Bernabéu dating to 2016.
The draw left Madrid seven points behind Barcelona ahead of the latter’s match at relegation-threatened Almeria on Sunday.
“It was tough before this match, and now it can become even tougher,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “All we can do is keep fighting until the last match.”
Madrid was coming off a 5-2 come-from-behind win at Liverpool in the Champions League and was trying to win its sixth consecutive game in all competitions.
The result kept Atletico, unbeaten in the Spanish league since early January, from moving to third place ahead of Real Sociedad, which lost at struggling Valencia 1-0 late Saturday. Atletico stayed one point behind the Basque Country team.
When Madrid won the previous derby in January, also at the Bernabéu, to advance to the Copa semifinals, Atletico claimed Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos should have been sent off for a hard foul when Atletico was ahead.
On Saturday, Atletico defender Reinildo injured his right knee midway through the first half and was carried off on a stretcher.
Before the match, Madrid honored Amancio Amaro, the 1960s and 70s club great who died last week.
Madrid on Thursday hosts Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semis. Atletico hosts Sevilla in the league on Saturday.
Valencia wins
Valencia edged Sociedad to end a six-game losing streak in all competitions and leave the relegation zone.
Valencia’s first league win since before the World Cup lifted the club to 17th place, one point outside the relegation zone. The winner came from an own goal by Sociedad midfielder Igor Zubeldia in the 40th.
It was Valencia’s second match under new coach Rubén Baraja.
Before the match, thousands of Valencia fans again protested against Singaporean owner Peter Lim. The crowd at Mestalla Stadium also jeered Lim and called for him to leave the club.
Braithwaite scores brace
Denmark international Martin Braithwaite scored in each half as Espanyol defeated Mallorca 2-1 to move further away from the relegation zone.
Espanyol, in 12th place, has won two consecutive league matches for the first time this season.
Cadiz thrives at home
Sergi Guardiola scored a 74th-minute winner as Cadiz defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0.
Cadiz is unbeaten in the league at home in nine matches. The southern club was three points above the drop zone.
Rayo stayed in sixth place.
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