Teenage forward Alvaro Rodriguez came off the bench to rescue Real Madrid in a dramatic 1-1 derby draw with 10-man Atletico Madrid, heading a late equaliser to cancel out Jose Gimenez’s goal.
Despite half-time substitute Angel Correa controversially seeing red for a push on Antonio Rudiger, Atleti looked set for a famous win at Santiago Bernabeu when Gimenez headed them into the lead with 12 minutes left.
However, 18-year-old Alvaro rose to nod Luka Modric’s corner beyond Jan Oblak with five minutes remaining, scoring his first senior goal for Los Blancos in dramatic fashion.
ALSO READ:Â U-20 AFCON: Ruthless Senegal send hosts Egypts packing in 4-0 win
While Madrid will be relieved to have avoided a surprise defeat, they are now seven points adrift of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who could extend that gap to 10 points when they visit Almeria on Sunday.
Madrid created several half-chances early on, Marco Asensio forcing Jan Oblak into an awkward stop before Karim Benzema sent two wild efforts over the crossbar.
Yannick Carrasco then stung Thibaut Courtois’ palms with a low drive at the other end, but Atleti were largely content to sit deep and frustrate Madrid in a low-key opening half.
ALSO READ:Â SERIE A: Osimhen scores again as Napoli ease past Empoli in 2-0 win
Atleti’s task was made all the more daunting after 64 minutes, and Diego Simeone’s men could feel hard done-by as Correa was controversially dismissed for an innocuous push to Rudiger’s chest on the halfway line.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Atleti continued to contain Madrid before hitting the front from a deep free-kick, Gimenez glancing Antoine Griezmann’s delivery home.
However, another set-piece was to prove crucial as the hosts provided one final twist, Alvaro heading Modric’s cross into the bottom-right corner to ensure the spoils were shared. Â
