Real Madrid’s title hopes hit after 10-man Atlético hold on for derby draw

Ten-man Atlético Madrid dealt a blow to Real Madrid’s La Liga title hopes when they held the defending champions to a 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu on Saturday.

After Atlético substitute Ángel Correa had been shown a straight red card in the 64th minute for an elbow to the chest of Real defender Antonio Rüdiger, José María Giménez gave Atlético the lead with a header from an Antoine Griezmann free-kick 12 minutes from time.

However, the 18-year-old Álvaro Rodríguez levelled seven minutes later with a header from a Luka Modric corner but Real could not find a winner.

Real Madrid remain second in La Liga on 52 points, but are seven behind leaders Barcelona who can stretch their lead to 10 on Sunday when they face lowly Almería. Atlético are fourth on 42 points.

“I see [winning] the league as a very difficult task. It was before today’s game and now it’s got even tougher,” Real manager Carlo Ancelotti told Dazn.

“Today we lacked a bit of mental freshness, more than physical. Especially when they were down to 10 men, we allowed them to score and struggled to reposition ourselves. In the first half we had good control but the intensity was not high. Then we didn’t take advantage of the extra man we had.”

A goal by striker Victor Osimhen and an own goal by Empoli defender Ardian Ismajli earned 10-man Napoli a 2-0 away win in Serie A on Saturday, extending their lead over second-placed Internazionale to a staggering 18 points.

Napoli, who have kept a clean sheet in their last four league matches for a second time under coach Luciano Spalletti, previously doing so in October 2021, remain top of the standings on 65 points.

Napoli are seeking their first Serie A title since 1989-90, after being runners-up four times since 2013. They