'Goal-scoring catalyst' Lee Kang-in's phantom through pass! Atletico defeats Real Madrid 2-1... Climbs to second place in the league

*This content was translated by AI.

The winner of the Madrid derby was the home team. Starting forward Lee Kang-in (25) played a key role, delivering a sharp penetrating pass that sparked the winning goal, leading Atletico Madrid to victory.

On the 20th at 11:15 p.m. (Korea time), Atletico Madrid defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in a home match of the 7th round of the 2026–2027 Spanish Primera Liga held at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.

With this win, Atletico recorded five wins, one draw, and one loss (16 points), jumping to second place in the league. Real Madrid fell to third place with five wins and two losses (15 points).

Coach Diego Simeone deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation, starting Lee Kang-in as an attacking midfielder in the second line. Jonathan David led the front line, supported by Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena. In midfield, Alejandro Grimaldo, Marcos Llorente, Joao Cardoso, and Julian Simeone were positioned. The back three consisted of Marc Pubill, Cristian Romero, and David Hancko, with Jan Oblak in goal.

Real Madrid countered with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kylian Mbappe started as the lone striker, supported by Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Arda Guler in the second line. Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde formed the double pivot, while Marc Cucurella, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate, and Denzel Dumfries made up the back four. Thibaut Courtois guarded the goal.

The first half featured the intense physical battles and tense standoffs characteristic of a derby. Just six minutes into the match, Coach Simeone received a yellow card after vehemently protesting a referee decision, heating up the atmosphere on the bench. Real Madrid tested Oblak with Guler's long-range shots and Vinicius's dribbling runs, but either the saves held or the shots missed the target.

Atletico also counterattacked in the first half, 15 minutes in, through Lee Kang-in's penetrating cross and Julian Simeone's aggressive run. In the 35th minute, Pubill received a caution for stopping Mbappe, and in the 38th minute, Romero was shown a yellow card after a deep tackle on Bellingham following video assistant referee (VAR) review, as physical confrontations unfolded. Both teams ended the first half scoreless at 0-0.

Coach Simeone adjusted his formation immediately after halftime by substituting out defender Pubill, who had received a caution, and bringing on Koke.

A major turning point in the match arrived early in the second half. In the 4th minute of the second half, Julian Simeone drove into Real Madrid's penalty area, where Dean Huijsen grabbed his arm and brought him down. After an on-field review, the referee sent off Huijsen directly with a red card and awarded a penalty kick.

In the 8th minute of the second half, Alejandro Grimaldo, taking the penalty, calmly struck the lower left corner of the goal with his left foot to score the opening goal. Facing both numerical disadvantage and a deficit, Real Madrid urgently substituted Antonio Rudiger and Yannick Djimonde for Vinicius and Guler. Atletico continued to build momentum in the 11th minute of the second half as Lee Kang-in attempted a sharp long-range shot.

In the 16th minute of the second half, Atletico's additional goal was scored. The catalyst for the goal was Lee Kang-in. He delivered a precise through pass that completely dismantled Real Madrid's defensive line. Julian Simeone received the ball on the right flank and delivered an accurate cross into the box, where David calmly finished with his right foot to extend the lead to 2-0.

With the game under control, Coach Simeone substituted Julian Alvarez for David in the 17th minute of the second half and brought on Ademola Lookman for Baena in the 21st minute, maintaining offensive pressure. Romero's header and Simeone's shot were blocked by Courtois and Rudiger's physical defense, preventing further goals.

Real Madrid missed a chance in the 32nd minute of the second half when Yannick Djimonde's shot went straight at Oblak. Lee Kang-in, who maintained high activity levels throughout the match to coordinate both offense and defense until the final moments, was substituted out in the 44th minute of the second half.

Real Madrid managed to score one goal through a high header by Rudiger during a free-kick set piece situation in stoppage time of the second half, but it was not enough to equalize. Ultimately, the match ended with a 2-1 victory for Atletico.

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*This content was translated by AI.