Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso accepted the blame for his side’s implosion against arch-rivals Atlético Madrid on Saturday afternoon.
Alonso’s side bounced into the first derby of the season in ebullient form, racking up seven straight wins to start the 2025–26 campaign across all competitions, scoring 16 goals and conceding just four. They shipped five this weekend.
The 5–2 humbling at the Metropolitano was the first time Real have conceded as many as five goals against Atlético since a 6–3 thrashing in 1950, when Santiago Bernabéu was the club’s president rather than stadium.
Atlético raced in front and could have comfortably extended their advantage before Kylian Mbappé delivered a sucker-punch of an equalizer. Arda Güler fired Real into an unlikely 2–1 lead but the visitors’ individual talent could not outweigh Atlético’s obvious superiority for long. Alexander Sørloth headed the hosts level on the cusp of halftime, setting the scene for a second-half rout with three unanswered goals.
“It was a bad game,” Alonso admitted, “and it’s a deserved defeat.” While pointing out that his side are still “in a building phase,” the incoming coach insisted, “There are no excuses.”
Rejecting the opportunity to criticize the referee—which is a rarity in the Spanish capital—Alonso bluntly outlined: “We lacked fluidity with the ball, and without it, we were very weak in duels.
“It hurts us all, and the fans too, surely. We feel very responsible.” Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone was also keen to take credit for the result.
