Griezmann Stars As Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid Conclude in a Draw

In the 93rd minute, Marcos Llorente startled the Real Madrid supporters with an equalizer to secure a 1-1 draw, but Atlético Madrid managed to salvage a draw at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night.
Following Atleti’s success in LALIGA in September, Real Madrid’s extra-time triumph in the Spanish Super Cup in January, and the Rojiblancos’ extra-time victory in the Copa del Rey just one week later, the goal ensured that the two teams shared a point apiece in the fourth Madrid derby of the season.

This time, after Atlético failed to clear their lines, Brahim Díaz gave the home team the lead on minute twenty, and the forward duly completed. Despite not being listed on the squad sheet at first, Brahim was Real Madrid’s standout player. He came in to replace Vinícius Júnior after the Brazilian sustained an injury during the warm-up. At first, Real Madrid declared that Joselu would take Vinícius’ position, but coach Carlo Ancelotti changed his mind at the last minute, choosing Brahim instead.

Coach Diego Simeone acknowledged that Atlético was behind for the majority of the match, saying, “For me it was a strange game, they were better than us.” But Llorente’s late header gave his club a point, capping an incredible evening for the Colchoneros.

For Antoine Griezmann, the evening held significance beyond the late-night drama. With his 521st LALIGA appearance, the Atletico Madrid icon passed Lionel Messi to become the foreign player with the most appearances in the championship.

Of those, 39 appeared in his first season with Real Sociedad in the second tier, which is currently called LALIGA Hypermotion. In the end, he would participate in 180 games for La Real in the competition’s top two categories, scoring 44 goals.

After that, he transferred to Atlético, but he then went on to Barcelona, where he played in 74 Liga matches and scored 22 goals between 2019 and 2021. His current stats at Atlético are 267 appearances and 123 goals.

The Frenchman says, “I feel at home here in Spain, in San Sebastián, in Madrid, in Barcelona. I love Spain very much.” “I owe a lot to this country; they welcomed me and paid for my education.” Spanish has been the most significant aspect of my schooling. It makes me pleased and glad to be here because my wife is also Spanish.

On Sunday night, the number seven for Atletico Madrid faced Real Madrid for the 28th time in a domestic league match. It’s significant to note that he has never missed a match against the league’s current leaders. Since facing the heavyweights for the first time with the Basque squad in 2010, he has scored in eight of those games—six for Atlético and two for Real Sociedad.

“He represents the history of our club and we have to take care of that,” Simeone said after Griezmann overtook Luis Aragonés’ record as Atlético’s all-time top goalscorer last month. Now on 175 goals in all competitions, the Frenchman is still keen to add to his tally before his existing contract comes to an end in 2026.