Real Madrid took the lead in the second half of the derby against Atletico with a goal from Eder Militao. A few minutes later, the match had to be stopped for 20 minutes due to the outrageous behavior of "Los Colchoneros" fans. In injury time, the hosts salvaged a point thanks to a goal by Angel Correa. Atletico finished the game with ten men after Marcos Llorente was sent off with a red card.
Spaniards comment on the scandal in Madrid
Shortly after Militao’s goal, some Atletico fans lost control and started throwing objects toward the players. First, a lighter was thrown, which Thibaut Courtois handed to the referee, who noted the incident. But as time went on, things got worse. More objects were thrown onto the field. The referee was forced to stop the game. The players went to the locker room, but Koke and Jose Maria Gimenez decided to stay and calm down the furious fans. Soon after, coach Diego Simeone joined them. Commentator Tomasz Ćwiąkała, speaking on Canal+ Sport, called it "a black mark in the history of the league". Thankfully, the match was resumed and completed.
When Atletico equalized in stoppage time, they celebrated with the group of fans who caused the scandal, which was unthinkable for the Spanish press and public.
It was a moment of great tension. We don’t want this to happen at the stadium, but we are also professionals and must know where we are. We need to be smart. We can't punish all the fans because of four people. Well, I hope it doesn’t happen again. As players, we need to be smarter. We spoke as captains with the referees, and the protocol stated that if it happened again, the match would be called off. Luckily, it didn’t come to that
- Koke commented after the game.
The Spanish media reacted to the events at Civitas Metropolitano. They are not hiding their outrage at the behavior of the Frente Atletico fan group.
Shameful scenes for Atlético and Spanish football. The embarrassment continued with players celebrating the injury-time draw alongside the radicals who must be dealt with
- commented the Madrid daily Marca, which also praised the referee, Mateo Busquets Ferrara, calling him decisive and exemplary.
"A draw and shame" - titled AS on its front page. "Rojiblancos celebrated with Frente members, while the rest of the crowd booed" - the article added.
The Catalan newspaper Sport stated that Atletico should not have been so proud of the point due to the scandal. "A shameful draw" - read their headline. The behavior of the fans, which caused the game to be interrupted, was described as pathetic and disgraceful.
Mundo Deportivo emphasized that the fans overshadowed what happened on the field. "More tension than football. Atleti equalized in injury time in a derby marred by objects being thrown, forcing the referee to stop the match" - it reported.
Hooligan arrested, armed, and racism in the stands
According to Relevo, there may have also been instances of racism in the stands. One of the victims was a fan who had traveled from Brazil. Others imitated monkey sounds aimed at him. Clashes broke out, and security had to intervene, determining that the Brazilian started the fight and was aggressive, so they decided to remove him, at least from that section.
Atletico officially reported that they had identified and arrested one of the fans who threw objects onto the field. According to El Chiringuito, the fan was armed and had a knife.
In the La Liga table, FC Barcelona leads with 21 points after eight matches. They suffered their first league loss of the season against Osasuna. Following them are Real (18 points) and Atletico (16 points), with neither Madrid team having lost a match yet.
