In a must-win Madrid derby, Alvaro Arbeloa’s team dug in and secured the three points
Everyone knows derby games are not about aesthetics, or even talent forsooth. They are about doggedness, mentality, the willingness to fight and tolerate pain. But Real Madrid have both and they showed it on Sunday in the Madrid derby.
This was a game Madrid absolutely needed to win. Not only because Atletico humiliated them in the reverse fixture in September. Barcelona had also won against Rayo Vallecano to go seven points ahead at the top with nine games left. A setback in the capital and their rivals risked losing sight of them.
Atletico took the lead through Ademola Lookman and after Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde had scored to turn the score around, Nahuel Molina fired in an outrageous shot to level the score after the hour.
A brilliant individual moment from Vinicius allowed Madrid to take the lead again but with 13 minutes to go in normal time, Valverde was sent off in contentious circumstances and Madrid were forced to dig in and defend the lead. They were lucky that a long-range effort from Julian Alvarez was just a few inches off and cannoned off the post, but luck is part of the game, especially when a team have worked hard.
“We showed mental strength and character worthy of this shirt and this badge,” said manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who has engineered crucial wins with some of his biggest names out injured and a sizeable number of youngsters in the squad.
“That’s what I liked most about the team today. We also had to suffer in those final minutes with one less player. I’m grateful that in the end we held onto the result and took the three points, which is what we wanted.”
Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta pic.twitter.com/R9IGk7WFZm
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 22, 2026
Madrid have often faced criticism this season and Arbeloa himself has witnessed some low moments, not least the embarrassing defeat to Albacete that saw Madrid crash out of the Copa del Rey, narrowing their chances of ending a trophy drought that stretches back to last season.
But having now overcome Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, the task is to keep the fight on, keep the pressure on Barcelona, and be at the maximum ahead of the all-important clash against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
“The turning point is that we’ve had many victories, each one a turning point,” Arbeloa. “There’s a break coming up, but we’re still in the fight for the league title, and it’s going to be a very long fight, with every match going to be very difficult. Mission accomplished.”
Valverde has been an important piece on Arbeloa’s chessboard; but so too Vinicius, who took centre stage against Manchester City and also in the Madrid derby.
“Another fantastic game from Vini and another demonstration of his talent, courage, character, fearlessness, and willingness to try again after failing,” Arbeloa said. “He scored a brilliant goal that gave us the victory at a very difficult moment.
“We are incredibly lucky to have him as a player because of his commitment, his talent, and his constant desire to lead the team. I don’t know if he’s at the peak of his career right now, but he’s certainly close.”
¿Cómo anotar un doblete?
– Paso 2.#LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/LqO89wWLkn— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 22, 2026
Valverde’s red-card was a controversial moment and Arbeloa said the referee explained the decision to him, although he was unsatisfied with it.
“He told me it was excessive force, and I don’t consider it as such,” Madrid’s coach said. “It was a tackle like many others, very low, with no possibility of causing harm or injury to the opponent.”
