The match that was billed as a battle of the superheroes ended without a winner, all set up for a sequel instead. Kylian Mbappé and Julián Álvarez had looked out from Madrid’s front pages on the morning of the city derby, the media turning Marvel Comic, and they will probably be there on Sunday too but this isn’t over. The man they liken to a Mutant Turtle and the striker they call The Spider scored one each as another derby finished 1-1, leaving these two great rivals first and second in La Liga, a single point between them, left to fight another day.
Between them Mbappé and Álvarez had already scored 37 goals in their debut seasons; on a night that took a while to get going but did eventually become a real contest if certainly not a classic, they took that to 39. Atlético started in the ascendency then Real were revived.
They equalised fast, Rodrygo setting up Jude Bellingham whose shot from close range was blocked but dropped to Mbappé to score. Next Bellingham hit the bar and then had another header saved by Jan Oblak. It was not just that this was a different game now; it was that it was a game, a derby the way it’s supposed to be, loud and open, a tension to it all. At least for a little while.
Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé had been activated, Rodrygo an even more significant threat. Bellingham led them forward. Atlético were under pressure but did find their way out at times, usually on the right. A pattern had been set: Real pressing, Atlético waiting to counter. Giuliano Simeone slipped when Álvarez set up a superb opportunity, Marcos Llorente’s pull back was cut out by Tchouaméni and Álvarez so nearly provided for Antoine Griezmann.
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At the other end, Dani Ceballos shot at Oblak, who also saved a Tchouaméni header, a Rodrygo strike and Vinícius’s effort. An Mbappé shot lacked the power of the run that preceded it and the momentum slowed a little. But with eight minutes left Vinícius escaped two lunges and clipped a ball to Rodrygo whose volley flew wide, that shot count up from zero to eight, and with a single minute to go it might have been nine and the victory. Fede Valverde dashed through and slipped in Mbappé. It hadn’t been the greatest of games, but here was the Turtle’s moment. Until in came another of this cast, Oblak flying at his feet to deny a comic book finale.
