September 30, 2024, at the Civitas Metropolitano, Atletico Madrid played against Real Madrid at home. Real Madrid opened the scoring with a goal from Militao, but Atletico Madrid equalized with a goal from the substitute Correa at the last minute, and the Madrid derby ended in a draw.

They're rarely mentioned, except when they mess up. Busquets Ferrer's leadership at the Metropolitano kept the derby out of the news. He stayed calm, followed the rules when the fireworks started at the south end and called for a temporary suspension until things calmed down. He let the game resume as a passionate derby with lots of incidents. Correa equalised in stoppage time, playing well for Atlético. Madrid were unlucky to lose. At least they go into the last match without a loss, even though they knew they would lose.

The high-intensity derby didn't happen in the first half. Atlético and Real Madrid were focused on avoiding mistakes and cancelled each other out. The first reason is that they have two excellent goalkeepers who saved the opposition's best chances. Courtois saved Julián's shot and Oblak saved Valverde's. For the first time this season, Simeone picked his three main players in the starting line-up. Sorloth up front, Griezmann on the right and La Araña on the left. The Argentine was impressive in both attack and defence. He did well in the first act.

Madrid was a bit more relaxed, changing their style. They moved around a lot, trying to create danger. Militao struggled to adjust to his new position as a left-footed centre-back. He made four mistakes in the first half. Valverde helped with the exit because Tchouameni was struggling to speed up the game and because Modric was moving around a lot. Bellingham was the standout player on the red and white team.

Vinicius Junior stood out in the duel. He was the main player in the white line-up. Vinicius started on the left with Nahuel Molina, but Llorente covered Gallagher's full-back. The Brazilian had a tough time but had some good moments. He didn't make a fuss and that stopped the frustration when he touched the ball.

The second half was different. Koke came on in midfield and Llorente went to right-back. Atlético played better in the opposition half but couldn't create any more chances than a corner in which a penalty was awarded for a handball by Bellingham. Keep going. Madrid also had a chance to score from a corner, but Rodrygo was on his own at the edge of the box. He missed. Cholo made a change, putting Lino on the left and Julián in the centre. The Brazilian, who played a key role in Madrid's last league defeat, had a heated exchange with Carvajal. Julián and Griezmann couldn't resolve the situation.

Le Normand fouled Vinicius in the 64th minute, resulting in a yellow card for the Frenchman. Madrid tried to set up an indirect pass for Valverde, but Modric saw the opportunity and passed to Vinicius. The number 7 got away from De Paul, composed himself and the ball fell to Militao, who volleyed. While the white players were celebrating the 0-1, things started falling on Courtois from the south end. I don't know if he turned around to celebrate, but throwing things onto the pitch is wrong. The Belgian gave Busquets a lighter to start the protocol. The Belgian returned to his goal, but more objects fell. The referee asked the goalkeeper to head it back, but he couldn't. The match was stopped.

Some fans complained during the 20-minute break. Fortunately, the match resumed and Madrid went further in the competition. Vinicius had a good chance after turning and shooting with his right foot. Oblak had to be at his best to save it. Tchoumeni was strong in the middle. Correa came on to liven up the game. It lacked football. Ancelotti made no changes despite having five men warming up on the wing because Madrid was comfortable with their defence.

Lucas came on for Modric in the 86th minute. What a player! Madrid didn't hold the ball without the Croatian. They missed a chance to counterattack, with Endrick missing a 35-metre shot with Bellingham running alongside him. He let it go. He was punished. A great pass from Javi Galán set up Correa to beat Courtois. It was ruled out at first, there was no offside, broken by Rüdiger. It was a draw. Fair enough because of the merits of both on the pitch. A duel tainted by the usual suspects. There were too many of them.