Real Madrid entered the La Liga match with an impressive streak of six consecutive wins in all competitions this season. However, their rivals Atletico Madrid proved too formidable, and this impressive victory has propelled Atletico to fifth place in the league table.
Carlo Ancelotti's team remains in third place with 15 points, just one point behind the league leaders Barcelona. They will be eager to bounce back in their upcoming home clash with Las Palmas.
Atletico took the lead just four minutes into the match when Alvaro Morata, facing his former club, directed a cross from Samuel Lino into the bottom corner of the net.
The home side had an opportunity to double their lead in the 11th minute when Jose Gimenez found himself unmarked inside the Real Madrid box, but his header missed the target.
Atletico extended their lead to 2-0 in the 18th minute when Antoine Griezmann expertly found the bottom corner with a header after Lino slid a pass to Saul Niguez, who skillfully set up his teammate.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made crucial saves on both sides of the half-hour mark, denying a long-range effort from Eduardo Camavinga and stopping Federico Valverde's attempt from the resulting corner.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, also made a brilliant save to deny Saul's low strike during an intense period of the Madrid derby.
Toni Kroos reduced the deficit for Real Madrid in the 35th minute with a superb low strike from the edge of the box.
Kroos attempted another long-range shot late in the first half, but Oblak made a decisive save, and Real Madrid maintained their pressure inside the electric atmosphere of the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
Real Madrid dominated possession as the first half ended, showcasing an intriguing formation with players like Luka Modric, Jude Bellingham, Camavinga, and Kroos taking turns advancing to support Rodrygo, forming an almost front two.
Real Madrid believed they had equalized at 2-2 just before halftime when Camavinga tapped in from close range after David Alaba hit the post. However, the goal was disallowed for offside, as Antonio Rudiger was deemed to be involved, even though he didn't touch the ball and was past the last defender.
Joselu entered the game for Real Madrid at halftime, but Atletico quickly added a third goal less than a minute into the second half, with Morata heading in his second goal of the match from a Saul cross.
Atletico came close to a fourth goal in the 55th minute, as Mario Hermoso's header from a Griezmann delivery struck the crossbar.
Aurelien Tchouameni, who surprisingly began on the bench, narrowly missed the Atletico goal in the 64th minute, while Rudiger fired a shot wide from distance six minutes later.
Oblak was called into action to stop a strike from Brahim Diaz in the 79th minute, as Real Madrid sought to set up an exciting finish at the Wanda Metropolitano.
However, Atletico managed to control the game in the closing stages, and there were no major scares for the home side late in the match. This victory marks a significant early-season result for Diego Simeone's team.
Real Madrid's next match is a home game against Las Palmas on Wednesday night, while Atletico will aim to build on this morale-boosting win when they travel to face Osasuna on Thursday evening.
