Goals from Rodrygo and Fede Valverde extended Real Madrid’s 100% start to the season as the Spanish champions won 2-1 against Atletico Madrid.
After a good start at Atletico, Rodrygo opened the scoring, passing Aurelien Tchouameni‘s float past Jan Oblak when Vinicius‘ low shot Valverde made it 2-0 after the post and bounced to the goal. Although Atletico fought back late, effectively ending the game. Amid the hustle and bustle of a frantic Madrid derby, these two high-quality moments made all the difference.
Rodrygo adapts well, and Tchouameni continues to shine
Karim Benzema‘s injury threatens to derail Real, which is how important the French striker is to the Spanish and European champions, but Rodrygo has adapted well to his new position in attack.
Rodrygo opened the scoring for Real with a well-timed half-volley and provided a way out throughout the derby. The Brazilian is very different from Benzema, but he has now scored in three consecutive games.
The 22-year-old Tchouameni has been a driving force for Real Madrid since joining from Monaco and was no exception in the Madrid derby. Joe Ameni’s pass broke the Atlético de Madrid defense for the opening goal. He made sure the home side rarely dominated the game in midfield and was very effective in starting the attacking action from deep.
Appalling racist chants demand Atletico action
Footage of a group of Atlético de Madrid fans chanting racist chants against Vinicius outside the Metropolitano stadium ahead of the game is disgusting, frustrating, and, unfortunately, nothing new.
Vinicius, who was criticized this week for dancing and celebrating on the pitch, responded in the most favorable way this time around.
When Rodrigo scored, Vinicius crossed him first, in what seemed to be a very deliberate dance on the touchline, before he became the catalyst for Real’s second goal, the iconic left flank run.
After the game, Vinicius Jr posted a photo of him celebrating with Rodrygo, with the caption “Dancing whatever you want”. Keep dancing, Pooh.
