The Madrid derby saw long-time rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid lock horns fight for a hard-earned point at the Santiago Bernabeu. The fixture has featured some of the most heated moments in Spanish football over the years, with Diego Costa , Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo all having passionate moments in the past.
However, Atletico boss Diego Simeone shared a light-hearted moment with Real Madrid veteran Luka Modric on the touchline. Cameras picked up an exchange between the two, where the Atletico gaffer joked to Modric, asking him to play for them as his number came up on the board.
The Argentine called out to Modric as he was preparing to come on for Rodrygo Goes. He said,
Luka! Luka! Come play with us.
Luka Modric is currently in the final stretch of his Real Madrid contact. The Croatian’s deal with the club expires at the end of the season, and aged 38, it is unclear whether the midfielder will go for a contract extension.
The game, which Madrid were leading for more than 70 minutes, ended in a 1-1 draw, as Marcos Llorente scored a 90+3′ goal to shock the hosts.
Real Madrid drop points against Atletico Madrid in thrilling encounter
La Liga leaders Real Madrid were forced to drop points against rivals Atletico as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu. The game sparked to life with a Brahim Diaz goal in the 20th minute goal, as the ball fell invitingly to the forward after a tussle in the box. Atletico, who were trailing for a majority of the game finally bagged a goal through Llorente’s late header.
In spite of Real Madrid dropping points, the club remain at the top of La Liga. With 58 points in 23 games, Madrid enjoy a two-point lead over second place Girona, while also being 8 points ahead of arch-rivals FC Barcelona. The game against Atletico was filled with controversy, as the visitors saw a goal disallowed by VAR, claiming offside.
Antoine Griezmann reacted with a sarcastic “ ” emoji after the game to express his distaste with the refereeing decisions. Madrid fans in turn had a go at the Atletico star, who received a lot of backlash for his reaction on social media. Diego Simeone labelled the game as ‘unusual’ while also admitting that it was ‘not bad’ to collect points away from home.
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