Vinícius Júnior struck twice as Real Madrid edged out Atlético Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling derby at the Bernabéu, with the Brazilian finally ending his LaLiga scoring drought against his city rivals on his 13th attempt

There was a clear contrast between the two dugouts. Diego Simeone was as animated as ever in his 50th Madrid derby, while Álvaro Arbeloa appeared calm and composed as he took charge of Real in this fixture for the first time.

Real made a flying start and nearly took control early on. Dani Carvajal forced a strong save from Juan Musso, before Federico Valverde rattled the base of the post inside the opening 10 minutes.

At the other end, Atlético threatened when Marcos Llorente found space in the box, only to be denied by Andriy Lunin, who was making just his fourth appearance of the season in place of the injured Thibaut Courtois.

Despite Real’s dominance, it was Atlético who struck first against the run of play, silencing the Bernabéu 12 minutes before the break.

Matteo Ruggeri delivered a low cross from the left, and a clever flick from Giuliano Simeone set up Ademola Lookman, who calmly slotted home his fifth goal since joining the club last month.

It marked the 24th time Atlético have opened the scoring in LaLiga this season — the highest in the league — although Real nearly responded immediately, with Aurélien Tchouaméni sending a header just wide.

Diego Simeone’s side were forced onto the back foot after the break, and within 10 minutes, the contest had completely swung in Real Madrid’s favour.

The turnaround began when David Hancko brought down Brahim Díaz near the byline, allowing Vinícius Júnior to calmly convert from the penalty spot, sending Juan Musso the wrong way. Just three minutes later, a costly mistake from half-time substitute José María Giménez saw him lose possession inside his own box, with Federico Valverde pouncing to score his sixth goal in five matches.

Despite the setback, Atlético Madrid responded brilliantly midway through the half. Substitute Nahuel Molina produced a stunning long-range effort, firing into the top corner from 25 yards to score in back-to-back LaLiga games.

However, parity lasted only five minutes. Vinícius Júnior struck again in style, cutting inside before curling a superb finish into the far corner from the edge of the area.

Álvaro Arbeloa then introduced Jude Bellingham, who made his return after being sidelined since February 1st, but the drama was far from over. Federico Valverde was later shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Álex Baena, giving the visitors renewed hope.

Sensing an opportunity, Atlético pushed forward in search of another equaliser. Julián Álvarez came agonisingly close, curling an effort against the post, while at the other end, Trent Alexander-Arnold tested Musso with a dangerous free-kick.

Late pressure continued as Alexander Sørloth saw his header saved, but Atlético were unable to find a breakthrough. They fell just short of extending their unbeaten LaLiga run against their rivals to seven matches, remaining fourth in the table, while Real’s victory moves them to within four points of leaders Barcelona.