Julian Alvarez dinked home a controversial first half penalty for Atletico, but Mbappe was in the right place at the right time to bundle home early in the second half on his first appearance in the tense derby clash. Atletico shaded a close first half, but were left holding on in the second period as the hosts stepped up a gear at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ancelotti opted to deploy his four key attacking players in Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo, in lieu of a more conservative approach. The star names got stuck in, not always a given in a defensive sense, and the first half was a hard-fought, intense battle with few clear openings for either side.
Atletico were upset when Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos was only booked for an ugly challenge on Pablo Barrios, but it was the hosts who were left raging when referee Cesar Soto Grado pointed to the penalty spot. Los Blancos attacked Spanish refereeing earlier in the week after they were upset by a decision in a shock defeat last weekend, bringing heavy scrutiny on the officials ahead of the derby.
Alvarez took the penalty, the first given against Madrid in La Liga this season, and cheekily executed a Panenka down the middle. Ancelotti refused to talk about the refereeing, but appeared exasperated on the sideline as Soto Grado pointed to the spot.
Madrid pulled level early in the second half when Rodrygo broke loose on the right of the box and crossed for Bellingham. Oblak made a smart save to deny Vinicius after the Brazilian winger burst through the gap between two Atletico defenders and pulled the trigger from a tight angle.
