Real Madrid suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the 179th edition of the Madrid derby, with a second-half red card for defender Dean Huijsen proving the decisive turning point. The result leaves Real six points behind La Liga leaders FC Barcelona, who also won on Saturday, defeating Sevilla 3-1.

The match at Atlético's stadium was a scrappy, ill-tempered affair. The first half produced little in the way of quality football, marked instead by fouls, minor skirmishes, and a yellow card for Atlético coach Diego Simeone. The game changed dramatically after the break when Huijsen, the Dutch-born centre-back, was sent off for holding Giuliano Simeone, the coach's son. Alejandro Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty to put Atlético ahead. Simeone then provided an assist for Jonathan David, who finished unmarked to make it 2-0. Antonio Rüdiger pulled one back for Real with a header a minute from time, setting up a nervous finish, but Atlético held on.

The post-match controversy threatened to overshadow the result itself. Real Madrid coach José Mourinho was furious at referee Miguel Ortiz, appearing at his press conference with photographs of challenges on Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde and demanding that Atlético players should also have been sent off — specifically South Korean midfielder Kang-in Lee and Argentine defender Cristian Romero. Mourinho described the referee as suitable only for lower-level matches, and pointedly directed his sarcasm at the refereeing appointment committee: "Whoever should be happy is the referee selection committee."

Spain's technical refereeing committee (CTA) subsequently reviewed the key incidents and offered a partial vindication of Mourinho's complaints. The CTA concluded that Kang-in Lee did deserve a red card, while acknowledging that the Romero incident could have warranted one but was insufficiently clear-cut to constitute a clear error by the referee. The committee nevertheless confirmed that Huijsen's dismissal was correct. Simeone, for his part, responded to Mourinho's broader criticisms with a pointed remark: "Even if you were Mourinho" — implying that no coach, regardless of reputation, is exempt from refereeing decisions going against them.

The result carries significant implications for the title race. Real's second points dropped in quick succession deepens the gap to Barcelona and raises early questions about their consistency. For Atlético, it ends a 49-year wait for a particular derby milestone, according to Spanish reports, and reinforces their credentials as genuine contenders this season.