Vinícius scores a brace, Real Madrid wins thrilling Madrid derby

(Football result) - Vinícius Júnior shines with a double, helping Real Madrid defeat Atlético Madrid 3-2 in a breath-taking derby at the Bernabéu. Notably, this is also the 13th time the Brazilian forward has managed to "break the curse" of scoring against his city rivals in La Liga.

On the coaching bench, the match witnessed a clear contrast between Diego Simeone, full of passion in his 50th Madrid derby, and Álvaro Arbeloa, who led Real Madrid for the first time in this fixture with a rather calm demeanor.

The home team started strongly as Dani Carvajal forced goalkeeper Juan Musso to show his skills, while Federico Valverde's shot hit the post within the first 10 minutes. On the other end, Marcos Llorente also made goalkeeper Andriy Lunin work hard to save.

Despite dominating play, Real Madrid was unexpectedly hit with a "cold shower" in the 33rd minute. Matteo Ruggeri delivered a favorable cross for Giuliano Simeone to assist Ademola Lookman's finish, opening the scoring for Atlético Madrid.

Entering the second half, the game's momentum reversed dramatically within a few minutes. In the 55th minute, Vinícius successfully converted a penalty after Brahim Díaz was fouled in the box. Just 3 minutes later, a mistake by José María Giménez allowed Valverde to score, raising the score to 2-1 for Real Madrid.

Not accepting defeat, Atlético once again brought the match back to the starting point when Nahuel Molina unleashed a beautiful long-range shot to equalize 2-2. However, the visitors' joy did not last long as Vinícius continued to shine with a classy curling shot from outside the box, sealing a 3-2 victory for Real Madrid.

The match became even more dramatic as Jude Bellingham returned from injury, while Valverde was sent off for fouling Álex Baena. The final minutes saw relentless efforts from Atlético Madrid, with Julián Álvarez's shot hitting the post and Alexander Sørloth's dangerous header, but none could help them find an equalizing goal.

This defeat caused Atlético Madrid to miss the chance to extend their unbeaten streak against Real Madrid, while the Royal club reduced the gap with the league leaders Barcelona to just 4 points, continuing to keep hope alive for competing for the La Liga title.