Alvaro Morata scores twice in Atletico Madrid win over Real Madrid
Alvaro Morata found the net twice as Atletico Madrid put an end to Real Madrid’s flawless La Liga season start with an impressive victory in the city derby.
FT: Atletico Madrid 3-1 Real Madrid
⚽️⚽️ Morata ⚽️Toni Kroos
⚽️Griezmann#ATMRMA #AtletiRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/ZqNaHZU2mw— Match Spoots (@matchspoots) September 24, 2023
The breakthrough came within four minutes as Morata, a former Real Madrid forward, expertly converted a dangerous cross from Samuel Lino.
Antoine Griezmann extended the lead to 2-0 with a well-placed header, only for Toni Kroos to pull one back with a brilliant low strike.
However, Morata secured Atletico’s triumph by outjumping the defense to meet Saul Niguez’s delivery after halftime.
The victory propelled Atletico to fifth place in the league standings, while Real Madrid, now in third place, dropped points for the first time this season, trailing behind Barcelona and Girona.
All Goals & Highlights: Atletico Madrid 3-1 Real Madrid
Before this match, Atletico had won just one of their previous 14 La Liga Madrid derbies. However, they stunned their arch-rivals with two early goals and then displayed solid defending for the remainder of the game.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who had been in superb form since joining Real in the summer, struggled throughout the match and received a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Angel Correa in stoppage time. Despite scoring six goals in his first six appearances for the club in all competitions, this match marked his first defeat as a Real Madrid player.