If you saw this coming, raise your hand and either present your Real Madrid Club de Fútbol membership card or crown yourself to a genius, because today’s result came out of nowhere. With an early second half goal from Jesé bookended but own goals from Emiliano Insúa and Miranga, the Merengues blew by league-leading Atlético Madrid, taking a commanding 3-0 lead after 90 minutes of the teams’ two-leg Copa del Rey derbi.
With two own goals, the surprise result could be seen as more bad luck than a reflection of Atlético’s deficiencies. The reality: It was a combination of both. El Real’s 17th minute opener came as a massive deflection of a Pepe shot saw an Insua inadvertently beat goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The final goal (73') came after an Ángel Di María shot clipped Miranda’s heal. With better luck, Atlético would be returning to the Vicente Calderón with a workable 1-0 deficit.
But Real Madrid fans can point to the 71 percent possession their team held. They can point to the 21-8 edge in shots and the 7-3 edge los Blancos had in shots on goal. While Real Madrid weren’t necessarily three goals better, they were clearly the better team on the day, worthy of a result that snaps their two-game losing steak to their cross town rivals.
The game had the energy of a true derby - something that wasn’t always been present before Atlético’s recent surge. In the opening moments, the Bernabéu crowd unveiled a huge tifo featuring an ominous figure warning Atlético not to read too much into their recent success in one of the world’s most lopsided top-level rivalries. The opening minutes, controlled by Real Madrid, saw two spirited teams eager to set an early tone in their 180-minute match - motives that led to a physical game that would normally suit Atlético. By halftime, however, Atleti had so little control of the match, Diego Simeone sacrificed newly acquired Diego for the less attack-minded Cristian Rodríguez.
It didn’t help. Two goals later, Atlético had finished its worst performance of the season - only the second time the team has lost in all competitions. Though the team can try to placate themselves with the fact two goals came off their own boots, Simeone’s side failed to respond to any of the challenges presented by El Real. For a side that’s defined their rise on the ability to transcend expectation and circumstance, today’s was a surprisingly passive performance.
Simultaneously, Real Madrid unveiled a dominance they’d unable to muster against this level of competition. This wasn’t the team that played Barcelona. It wasn’t the team that lost to Atlético. This wasn’t the squad that failed to assert themselves against Juventus. Instead, los Merengues played to their immense talent level, hinting the recent tweaks Carlo Ancelotti has instilled may finally pay off.
Thanks to today’s result, the first payoff could be a spot in the Copa del Rey final. Although a second leg at the Calderón awaits, El Real’s three-goal lead should be safe - particularly if they’re never willing to give Atlético the ball.