Madrid’s derby afternoon at the Metropolitano offered a harsh measure of Real Madrid’s present condition. A year after Xabi Alonso’s first defeat of the season there, a 5-2 loss that began the unravelling of his spell, José Mourinho’s second Madrid project has encountered its own unsettling scene in the same stadium.
Real Madrid struggled even before Dean Huijsen’s dismissal changed the balance of the match early in the second half. The defender conceded a penalty and was sent off; Grimaldo converted from the spot, and Atlético Madrid found little resistance thereafter. With ten men, the visitors were unable to regain shape, control or conviction, while Atlético were increasingly comfortable against an opponent offering almost no reply.
A familiar weakness in the capital
The final margin was, in that sense, one of the more forgiving elements for Madrid. Atlético had scope to make the scoreline considerably heavier. More troubling for Mourinho was that his side had already repeated the deeper failings that have hindered the club since 2024: a lack of collective play, authority, resilience and competitive response.
The attacking combination of Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham barely connected with the rest of the team. None of the three imposed himself on the derby, either in possession or through work without the ball, and Madrid lacked the individual disruption expected from such a gifted front line.
Vinícius’s extended decline was particularly visible. The Brazilian remains far from the player who led Madrid’s attack between 2021 and 2024, and the defiant personality once central to his game has receded alongside his influence. He has not been beating opponents, pressing effectively or lifting those around him. Mourinho has continued to select the number seven while recognising that his best level has not yet returned, but the case for that patience is becoming harder to sustain.
After Huijsen’s red card, Mourinho removed Vinícius and Arda Güler, retaining Mbappé and Bellingham as he tried to rebuild the side. The adjustment did not alter the pattern. Atlético controlled the contest against an undermanned Madrid whose attacking stars had not found a route into it.
Barcelona are now six points ahead, but the distance at the top is not Madrid’s most immediate concern. At the Metropolitano, the issue was not merely lost ground in the table; it was the reappearance of problems that have outlasted one coach and now threaten another ambitious beginning in the Spanish capital.
