Valverde hits & flies
©IMAGO
Bayern Munich’s Champions League opponents Real Madrid kept their chances in the Spanish championship in a heated city derby. Thanks to a brace from Vinicius Junior, the Royals beat Atlético Madrid 3-2 (0-1) in a thrilling game. As a result, Real are second in the table, four points behind leaders FC Barcelona, who won 1-0 against Rayo Vallecano in the afternoon.
Despite a good first half, Real fell behind in the 33rd minute thanks to a goal from former Bundesliga professional Ademola Lookman, who moved to Atlético from Bergamo in January. After the break a spectacular exchange of blows developed. Vinicius Junior equalized with a penalty kick (52′), Federico Valverde scored shortly afterwards to make it 2-1 for the hosts (55′). Atlético made it 2-2 thanks to a wonderful long-range goal from Nahuel Molina (66th), before Vinicius Junior scored the winning goal for Real (72nd).
In the final phase, a red card for Valverde made things tight for the home team, but Real saved their narrow lead with a bit of luck over time. In the quarter-finals of the Champions League, coach Álvaro Arbeloa’s team will face German champions FC Bayern after Easter.
