Antoine Griezmann and Rodrigo Riquelme scored two goals in extra time to give Atletico Madrid a thrilling 4-2 victory in the derby against Real Madrid, securing their spot in the quarter-finals of the Spanish Copa del Rey on Thursday.
After a week of facing off in a 5-3 win for Real in the Spanish Supercup semi-final in Saudi Arabia, the rivals clashed again in a packed match at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, which also ended with two extra-time goals but this time in favor of Atletico.
Atletico’s winger, Samuel Leno, opened the scoring for the home side in the 39th minute, capitalizing on a defensive mistake by Antonio Rudiger, who failed to clear the ball, presenting Leno with a close-range opportunity, which he converted.
However, goalkeeper Jan Oblak returned the favor when he made a mistake trying to take a free-kick from Luka Modric, sending the ball into his own net just before the end of the first half.
Griezmann worked his magic in the 100th minute, stealing the ball from Vinicius Junior at the midfield line, darting into the right channel and scoring. Riquelme sealed the win in the 119th minute with a skillful touch.
Real Madrid coach Diego Simeone commented, “It was an amazing goal, perhaps one of his best.” He added, “We played a very good match, and the players gave their all against a great opponent. It was a fantastic game.”
Simeone exchanged some heated words with Vinicius after the match, seemingly upset with Vinicius’s celebration after Joselu’s goal. It appears Vinicius got into a confrontation with a ball boy at the Metropolitano.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti commented on Vinicius: “It was a very competitive match; he was involved in many duels, and sometimes you can’t keep your cool. I think it’s understandable.”
Real Madrid, led by Ancelotti, entered the match unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions, with 17 wins and four draws.
“Recently, our matches against Real have been very beautiful for the viewers. At a very high pace, decided in extra time. Today was our turn to win it. I am happy for our fans and for Antoine Griezmann, who scored a fantastic goal,” said Atletico’s captain Koke to Movistar Plus.
Atletico is set to join Barcelona, Girona, Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Mallorca, Athletic Bilbao, and Sevilla in the quarter-final draw.