Real Madrid defeats Atletico

The win came without star forward Kylian Mbappé, who continues to recover from a knee sprain.

Federico Valverde, deployed at right-back due to Madrid’s mounting injury woes, opened the scoring within two minutes, drilling a free kick past Jan Oblak. Villarreal loanee Rodrygo doubled the lead in the 55th minute after Valverde sliced through Atletico’s defence with an incisive pass, leaving the Brazilian to slot home confidently.

Alexander Sorloth struck back moments later with a powerful header from Giuliano Simeone’s cross, setting up a tense final half-hour. Atletico pushed hard for the equaliser, but Thibaut Courtois denied both Sorloth and Alex Baena with sharp stops to preserve Madrid’s lead.

Valverde admitted the early drought weighed on him. “After so many games without scoring, today was a great day to find the net again and for the team to win,” he said, stressing the need to stay focused for the final.

The match also saw Atletico captain Koke Resurrección make derby history, appearing against Madrid for the 44th time – surpassing former Real defender Sergio Ramos. But the milestone offered little consolation. “It hurts because we wanted to be in the final,” Koke said. “We had chances, but the ball wouldn’t go in.”

Madrid’s victory takes them into a rematch of last year’s final, where Barcelona thumped them 5-2 to lift the title. Barcelona secured passage with a commanding 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Mbappé Racing Against Time

Madrid manager Xabi Alonso confirmed Mbappé will travel to Saudi Arabia and may feature in Sunday’s showpiece, though he provided no guarantee the league’s top scorer will be fit.

“He’s much better, he’s been training and he’s feeling good,” Alonso said of Mbappé, who has missed two games with a left knee sprain. His return would provide a significant boost as Madrid attempt to halt their recent dip and reclaim momentum against an in-form Barcelona.

The timing could be decisive. Madrid edged Barcelona 2-1 in October’s league meeting, courtesy of Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, but since then Barcelona have surged to the La Liga summit while questions linger over Alonso’s long-term plans.