Alonso took responsibility for the Madrid derby defeat, the last time he lost the same score was 75 years ago

Real Madrid coach Xavi Alonso blamed himself for the team's defeat in the Madrid derby on Saturday.

When he went to the first city derby of the season, Alonso's team was invincible - he won seven consecutive victories at the start of the 2025-26 season, scoring 16 goals in each competition and conceded only 4 goals. However, this weekend, they were pierced by their opponents in a single game five times.

This 5-2 defeat at the Metropolitan Stadium was the first time Real Madrid has scored five goals in a single game by Atletico Madrid since a 6-3 defeat in 1950. At that time, Santiago Bernabeuchamps was the club's chairman, and the stadium named after him has not yet been completed.

Atletico Madrid took the lead early and could have easily expanded its advantage, but Mbappe equalized the score with a sudden cold arrow. Then Arda Guillail helped Real Madrid overtake 2-1, but the visiting team's personal ability could not compete with Atletico Madrid's full suppression. Alexander Sollott headed the ball before the end of the half, kicking off the massacre of the home team's three consecutive games in the second half.

"We played a bad game," Alonso admitted, "This loss deserves its own fault." Although admitting that the team is still in the "reconstruction stage", the young coach insisted: "We don't make any excuses." He rarely pointed the finger at the referee, but pointed directly at the key point: "Our pass control lacks smooth cooperation, and the confrontation without the ball also appears weak. This result undoubtedly hurts all the soldiers and lives up to the expectations of the fans."

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simone unwillingly attributes the victory to tactical deployment. Before the derby, Simeone summoned the players and asked, "What is the important thing in your life that is not going well now?"

After everyone shook their heads, the Argentine coach said firmly: "Then go play and enjoy it. The football career is fleeting, and such a game will never come again."

This derby has indeed become Atletico Madrid's tactical feast. After the game, Simeone revealed the team's targeted tactics of suppressing their opponents at the beginning of the game: "Real Madrid is the world's top team, and we must play a perfect battle. We know that we must create murderous intent through the wing breakthroughs of Nico, Barrios, Alvarez and Simeone Jr. - use the gaps pulled by the central defender to let Sollot wait for an opportunity in the penalty area. In addition to those two goals, the team's tactical execution is perfect."

Atletico Madrid continues to launch crosses through both wings, accurately finding the commanding heights of Sollot in the penalty area. Alonso also understood this tactical loophole: "They tempted us to press forward in the formation and then quickly launched an offensive through long passes. Not only did we not compete for the first landing point, but we also fell into a disadvantage in the control of the second landing point."

This high-altitude bombing made Dean Wheesen, who had completed his derby debut, at a loss, and even led to Militon's injury and retreat. With Carvajal added to the injury list, Alonso's defensive crisis has gone far beyond tactical levels.