José Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid in La Liga suffered a significant setback as his side fell 2-1 to city rivals Atletico Madrid in a fiercely contested Madrid derby on Sunday. The match, held at the Wanda Metropolitano, marked Mourinho’s first major defeat since resuming his role at the club, just seven games into his second spell.

Atletico Madrid took the lead through a penalty by Alex Grimaldo in the 53rd minute, awarded after a foul by Real’s Dean Huijsen on Giuliano Simeone. The Czech defender’s foul not only conceded the penalty but also earned him a red card, forcing Real to play the latter stages of the match with ten men. Jonathan David extended Atletico’s advantage with a goal in the 59th minute. Real’s Antonio Rüdiger scored a late header in the 89th minute, providing a brief resurgence, but it was not enough to salvage points.

Mourinho was highly critical of the refereeing, focusing less on Huijsen’s dismissal, which he accepted, but rather on what he described as missed disciplinary actions against Atletico players. Displaying photographic evidence to the media, Mourinho pointed to unpunished fouls by Atletico’s Alex Baena and Kang-In Lee, among others. He singled out referee Ortiz Arias, a 41-year-old lacking international officiating experience, accusing the refereeing committee of making a crucial error. Mourinho refrained from suggesting intentional bias but implied serious mistakes were made.

Tensions on the pitch ran high throughout the match, particularly between Real’s Jude Bellingham and several Atletico players of Argentinian descent, including Giuliano Simeone and Julián Álvarez, reflecting a lingering edge reminiscent of the two teams’ recent World Cup encounters. A notable clash between Bellingham and Cristian Romero resulted in confusion over bookings by the referee, who initially booked Bellingham, rescinded the card, and instead cautioned Romero, a former Tottenham Hotspur player.

Despite the animosity, Mourinho managed to substitute Vinícius Júnior without incident following the red card, a move that the Brazilian appeared to accept quietly. Meanwhile, Atletico coach Diego Simeone celebrated the victory enthusiastically, visibly pleased at the final whistle. His son, Giuliano Simeone, was named man of the match for his influential performance.

Julián Álvarez, who had sparked controversy prior to the match due to his reported desire to leave Atletico for Barcelona, received a mixed reception. He was booed loudly on entering the game but also attracted muted cheers following a robust physical moment with Rüdiger, reflecting the complexity of his standing among Atletico fans.

Following this result, Real Madrid now find themselves trailing their city rivals in the table and lagging six points behind the league leaders and defending champions Barcelona, who continue to outscore Real by a wide margin. Mourinho and his squad face mounting pressure to close the gap as the season progresses.