Jose Mourinho needed only a sheet of paper to deliver his verdict on Sunday’s (September 20, 2026) ​Madrid derby, waving images of two first-half tackles as he accused the officials of losing control in ‌Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid.

Real were furious that Atletico defender ​Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp on Jude Bellingham and ⁠also complained about a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde, before the visitors were themselves reduced to 10 men five minutes after halftime.

Valverde finished the match but was later diagnosed with “severe trauma to ‌his left ankle,” the club said in a statement. The midfielder will undergo further tests, the club added.

“We could skip the press conference because the story ‌of the match is right here,” Mourinho said, holding up the images in what ‌was ⁠the start of a near five-minute rant.

“Those were two clear red cards. ⁠The difficulties we’ve faced since the sending-off. 11 against 10. Well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of 11 against 9 would have been like if justice had been done.”

Real defender Dean Huijsen was dismissed for bringing down ​Giuliano Simeone inside the area as ‌the last defender, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to score with a low spot-kick. Jonathan David doubled Atletico’s lead six minutes later, with Antonio Ruediger heading in a free kick late to reduce the deficit.

Mourinho said he could only “hug” his players after what he described ‌as a first half “full of class and great character”, but he aimed sharp ​criticism at referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and those who appointed him.

“They’ve put a referee, aged 41, with no international experience — it’s certainly not because ⁠he’s a great referee,” Mourinho said.

“Then the poor chap has come here and hasn’t been able to cope with the pressure — and it really is intense pressure. I call it ’80s-style pressure’ ‌here in this stadium, which you hardly ever see these days.”

Asked about being six points behind Barcelona, Mourinho offered a pointed reply.

“If they just leave us in peace and let us compete on a level playing field with everyone else, we’ve still got a long way to go,” he said.

“I don’t want to go so far as to say this was set up… I want to believe that they simply made a mistake.”

Asked about Mourinho’s comments, Atletico ‌manager Diego Simeone urged restraint.

“Whoever is speaking — be it me, Mourinho, Hansi Flick or Manuel Pellegrini, anyone — we ​have to be careful what we say,” Simeone said. “When you step outside the bounds of respect, whoever you are, it’s not on. You can’t cross ⁠that line.”

Simeone preferred to focus on Atletico’s performance.

“Today we saw a great match; we defended very well ⁠against a team that plays very well,” he said.

“We controlled the match when it was 11 against 11. We continued to control it when it became 10 ‌against 11. But this isn’t just another step towards continuing to grow and improve.”

Atletico climbed above Real into second in the standings on 16 points, five behind leaders ​Barcelona and one ahead of Real and Real Betis.

Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the LaLiga season with a 3-1 victory at Sevilla ​on Saturday (September 19, 2026) as captain Raphinha scored a hat-trick to continue his ‌prolific opening to the campaign.

Youssouf Fofana headed Sevilla in ​front after 18 minutes, but Raphinha equalised four ⁠minutes later before adding two second-half goals to seal Barcelona’s seventh successive league win.

Barcelona moved provisionally six points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, ‌who have a game in hand and play Atletico Madrid on Sunday (September 20, 2026).

Sevilla matched the visitors in a ‌tentative start in which goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos produced a ‌brilliant ⁠save to deny Lamine Yamal.

The hosts then became only ⁠the second team to take the lead against Barcelona this season when Felix Correia clipped in a cross from the left and Fofana headed past ​Dominik Livakovic, who was ‌deputising for the injured Joan Garcia.

Barcelona responded quickly as Raphinha ran on to Andreas Christensen’s pass and calmly beat Vlachodimos.

Sevilla continued to make life uncomfortable for Barcelona, who were struggling ‌to create chances, and almost retook the lead before ​halftime. An inspired Fofana backheel released Correia, but Rodri made a goal-saving tackle.

Raphinha headed in his second ⁠goal in the 52^nd minute following good footwork from Lamine in the box, and the Brazilian was inches away from a ‌third when his corner hit the post.

He did complete his hat-trick in the 69^th minute, racing behind the Sevilla defence to convert another Lamine assist for his 12^th league goal in seven matches.

Barcelona controlled possession as the game fizzled out in the closing stages and threatened to add a fourth ‌as Sevilla’s challenge faded, although Christensen’s second-half injury was a concern for Hansi ​Flick.

The Barca coach will have been encouraged by the way his side reacted with poise after falling ⁠behind and by their ability to find a way through once ⁠Sevilla’s pressing had frustrated them in the first half.

Earlier on Saturday (September 19), Osasuna drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano, while ‌Athletic Club and Alaves played out a goalless draw. Celta Vigo secured their first triumph of the season in ​emphatic fashion with a 5-0 win over Racing Santander.