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Atletico Madrid captain Koke has shared his thoughts after disturbing scenes of fan outrage during the derby against Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on September 29. The Madrid rivals played out a 1-1 draw in the game, both failing to take advantage of dropped points by Barcelona.
Reigning champions Real Madrid paid a visit to their neighbors for the first time in the 2024-25 season looking to pick up three points. They faced a hostile atmosphere at the stadium, with the Atleti fans getting increasingly irate throughout the game.
The referee was forced to suspend the game in the 68th minute after Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was pelted with missiles by the fans. Speaking after the game, Koke attributed the actions of the fans to provocation from the visiting team. He said (via @MadridXtra):
“The more we provoke people, the more people get heated. It doesn't justify it, but they felt provoked."
The Atletico Madrid fans had to be calmed down by manager Diego Simeone and senior players such as Jose Gimenez. During this time, the referee asked the players to leave the pitch for 15 minutes to avoid any unfortunate events.
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was a target for Atleti fans behind his goal as they threw all sorts of things at him. He celebrated his side scoring by turning towards the stands, and they responded by pelting him.
The Real Madrid man is quite unpopular among Los Rojiblancos, having played for the club in the past. When Courtois faced Atletico Madrid for the first time at the Wanda Metropolitano following his switch from Chelsea to Real Madrid, the fans threw soft toy rats onto the pitch, indicating that he was seen as one.
Real Madrid drop points to 10-man Atletico Madrid in fiery derby
Real Madrid missed out on an opportunity to go within one point of rivals Barcelona after their 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid away from home. Following Barcelona's defeat at Osasuna, Los Blancos had the chance to cut their lead down to a single point, bur failed to do so.
Carlo Ancelotti's side were without Kylian Mbappe for the clash after he picked up a thigh injury in his last appearance against Alaves. They did manage to open the scoring in the 64th minute when Eder Militao finished off a pass from Vinicius Jr.
Atletico Madrid dug deep and found an equaliser in the 95th minute of the encounter, with Angel Correa showing a cool head to round the keeper and score. Diego Simeone's side finished the game with 10 men after Marcos Llorente was sent off in the 99th minute for a reckless tackle.
