A week after their 35th Spanish football league title and four days after reaching the Champions League final, Real Madrid have failed with their B team. In the fast-paced city derby at Atlético Madrid, coach Carlo Ancelotti’s team deservedly lost 0-1 (0-1).
Fourth-placed Atletico has almost certainly qualified for the Champions League with the win. With three games to go, the lead over Betis Sevilla is six points. Yannick Carrasco scored the golden goal with a penalty kick (40th).
Compared to the memorable 3-1 win after extra time in the second leg of the semifinals against Manchester City, Ancelotti had fundamentally changed his team, only ex-national players Toni Kroos, Eder Militao, Nacho and Casemiro started again. His opponent Diego Simeone changed six positions.
Atlético were much more agile from the start and created a few opportunities. Kroos narrowly missed the goal just before half-time. Both teams missed promising chances in the second round.