Dueling Red Cards: How Real Madrid Femenino piled misery on Atletico Madrid

FC Barcelona leads the Primera Iberdrola by nine points, so this Madrid derby looked to be a defining match for both sides as they compete with Madrid CFF, Levante UD, and Real Sociedad for the other two slots in next season’s UEFA Women’s Champion’s League. Real Madrid came into this match on a run of four matches without a loss, while also having the extra rest of no midweek European football. Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, came into this match fresh from their elimination from Europe with a 3-1 aggregate loss to Chelsea in the Champions League Round of 16.

Lineup

Atletico Madrid started this match in a 4-3-1-2, a similar formation that they employed in their midweek 1-1 draw against Chelsea in the Champion’s League. They made two changes in personnel, with Toni Duggen dropped to the bench and replaced in midfield by Amanda Sampedro. American Kylie Strom was also left out of the starting XI, with Aissatou Tounkara getting the start instead. This change meant that Merel van Dongen moved from centre-back to left-back, allowing Tounkara to pair in central defence with Laia Aleixandri.

Real Madrid has been on a good run of form the last few weeks, despite missing Kosovare Asllani after she suffered a knock, but manager David Aznar made four changes to the side that strolled to an easy 4-1 victory a week earlier against Espanyol. They lined up in a 4-3-3, with Babett Peter missing the match through injury and replaced by Claudia Florentino. Marta Corredera, Thaisa Moreno and Lorena Navarro were all dropped to the bench, replaced by Olga Carmona, Marte Oroz and Marta Cordona in the starting XI.

Keys to the match

This tactical analysis will look at the struggles that Atletico Madrid suffered in dealing with Real Madrid’s press. We will look at the tactics employed by Atletico Madrid after an early red card for the visiting side, and provide analysis as to why Atletico Madrid offered so little threat in this match. Additionally, we will provide analysis for the changes Atletico Madrid attempted in the second half.

A physical contest from the start

This was a heated affair from the starting whistle, with both teams showing a willingness to physically challenge the opposition. Real Madrid started the match looking to press aggressively against the home side, forcing Atletico Madrid back. The home side struggled to play out from the back in the first 10 minutes, as there was very little connection between the defence and the midfield. The result was often the ball going out wide to the fullbacks before being chipped up the touchline in the hopes that Ludmila or Ajara Njoya would be able to win the duel.