There were plenty of talking points coming out of the match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu. It was not the most exciting contest for sure, in terms of the quality on display. The two teams settled for a 1-1 draw, as Alvaro’s late strike salvaged a point for Los Blancos.
That point has proven to be vital for Real Madrid as well, as Barcelona lost against Almeria. That means that Los Blancos now sit 7 points behind their rivals in the La Liga table. That is still a considerable gap, but they are at least closer.
Coming back to the Derby, the biggest topic of discussion was certainly the red card that was shown to Angel Correa. In many ways, it looked like a harsh decision on the part of the referee. On the other hand, a yellow card shown to Luka Modric is set to have a negative impact for Los Blancos.
As reported by Football Espana, the booking was Modric’s fifth of the season. As a result, he will miss Real Madrid’s La Liga fixture against Real Betis next Sunday due to suspension.
Real Madrid superstar suspended against Real Betis
Ancelotti has managed Modric’s minutes this season. He did not even start the game against Atletico Madrid and only came on as a substitute.
There is no question that he is still superb on his day though. We saw proof of that against Liverpool, as Modric turned back the clock with an incredible performance and got an ovation from the Anfield crowd when he was substituted off late on.
His suspension against Real Betis will thus come as a blow for Real Madrid. But at the same time, it will not be unfamiliar for this team to get on the pitch without the Croatian maestro. Let’s hope they can get a positive result on that occasion.