Madrid’s derby left Real Madrid with more than a 2-1 defeat to digest. Federico Valverde finished the afternoon carrying the consequences of a heavy challenge from Kang In, having played on despite the contact, and the club have now confirmed a serious injury to the Uruguay midfielder’s left ankle.
Medical examinations identified severe trauma to Valverde’s left ankle, sustained during the match. Real Madrid said further tests would follow in the coming hours to rule out any additional physical damage. The initial expectation is that he could be unavailable for between two and three weeks.
A difficult derby afternoon
The opening half in the Spanish capital offered little room for Real Madrid to settle. Their limited moves forward were stopped around the edge of Atlético Madrid’s penalty area, while Atlético created a couple of efforts of their own before the interval arrived without a goal.
The match changed soon after the restart. Alejandro Grimaldo converted a penalty after Dean Huijsen brought down the attacker, with the Real Madrid defender dismissed as the last man. Atlético then stretched their advantage in the 59th minute, when the Argentine Simeone beat Cucurella on the right and delivered a cross for Jonathan David to turn in.
Antonio Rüdiger gave Real Madrid hope by heading home Bernardo Silva’s accurate free-kick delivery, but the goal was not enough to recover the result. Valverde’s ankle problem now adds a further concern for the visitors after a bruising day in the capital.
