Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Atletico Madrid have hit back at Jose Mourinho following his rant about referee Ortiz Arias in the aftermath of their derby win over Real Madrid.
Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David were on target on Sunday as Los Colchoneros overcame their cross-city rivals 2-1 at the Estadio Metropolitano.
The victory lifted Diego Simeone’s side to second in LaLiga, five points behind leaders Barcelona, going into the three-week international break, with Los Blancos a point further back in fourth.
But their win was not without controversy, as Madrid had centre-back Dean Huijsen sent off for denying Giuliano Simeone a clear goalscoring opportunity, and Mourinho felt Atleti were fortunate to keep all 11 men on the pitch.
Lee Kang-In avoided punishment for a high challenge that caught Federico Valverde on his ankle, leaving the Uruguay international requiring medical tests.
Cristian Romero, meanwhile, was only cautioned for what Madrid believed was a stamp on Jude Bellingham’s knee, despite Arias being sent to the VAR monitor to check the incident.
Mourinho appeared at his post-match press conference with printed images of both incidents, saying they were both “clear red cards” and arguing Arias was not equipped to handle the pressure of such a big game.
Simeone subsequently said it was important that referees are protected and told his Madrid counterpart: “Not everything goes, even for Mourinho.”
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) September 21, 2026
And on Monday, Atleti’s club account on X posted an image of Mourinho discussing the incidents at his press conference, along with the caption: “Stop referee harassment now.”
Atleti have only lost one of the last eight derbies between the teams in LaLiga (W3 D4), winning four of the last six meetings to take place at the Metropolitano (D1 L1).
Los Colchoneros have also won seven straight home games against teams from the Community of Madrid, the longest such winning streak in their history.
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