Vinicius Junior’s brace seals a 3-2 win for Real Madrid over Atletico, keeping them four points behind Barcelona who scraped past Rayo Vallecano.
VINICIUS Junior scored twice as Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a pulsating derby on Sunday to stay within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
The Catalan champions had earlier secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou.
Ademola Lookman gave Atletico a first-half lead at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid responded after the break with goals from Vinicius and Federico Valverde turning the game around.
Nahuel Molina restored parity for the visitors with a spectacular long-range strike. Vinicius netted the decisive winner to claim all three points for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Valverde was sent off late for a foul on Alex Baena, forcing Madrid to see out the match with 10 men. “We showed mental toughness and strength worthy of this club’s badge,” said Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa.
“It made things hard for us and we had to suffer a lot.” The victory capped a successful week for Madrid after their Champions League triumph over Manchester City.
Vinicius praised the collective effort, stating, “Everyone deserves credit, the coach, the players, the fans.” His double takes him to 10 goals in his last 11 matches across all competitions.
Arbeloa hailed the forward’s impact, saying, “Another great game from Vinicius, another demonstration of bravery and character.” Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe both made substitute appearances after returning from injury.
Atletico remain fourth, one point behind third-place Villarreal. Earlier, Barcelona relied on a Ronald Araujo header and a heroic goalkeeping display to overcome Rayo.
Araujo nodded home from a corner after 24 minutes for the only goal. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia made several crucial saves to preserve the lead under intense second-half pressure.
“We knew how important it was to get this win before the international break,” Garcia told DAZN. “We did it, but it’s true we suffered more than we would have liked.”
Raphinha missed several chances for the hosts, while Rayo’s Pacha Espino spurned a golden opportunity to equalise late on. In other matches, Alaves staged a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down to beat Celta Vigo 4-3.
Athletic Bilbao defeated Real Betis 2-1 to maintain their push for European qualification.