Vinicius Jr stole the spotlight with a brace as Real Madrid staged a thrilling comeback to edge Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a heart-stopping Spanish capital derby on Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa's side just four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
What was billed as a low-key Madrid clash, with Atletico languishing in fourth, turned into a five-goal rollercoaster between fierce city rivals.
The match had it all, including spectacular strikes from both teams and a straight red for Real captain Federico Valverde in the closing moments, leaving the hosts to finish with 10 men.
Atletico drew first blood in the 33rd minute when Ademola Lookman finished a slick counter, set up by Matteo Ruggeri and a clever backheel from Giuliano Simeone.
Real hit back early in the second half. Vinicius converted a penalty in the 52nd minute after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Valverde seized on a Jose Maria Gimenez mistake three minutes later to put Real ahead 2-1.
Nahuel Molina silenced Real's Santiago Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-meter strike in the 66th minute, but Vinicius restored Real's lead with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.
Valverde was then sent off for a reckless challenge on Alex Baena, and Julian Alvarez struck the post as Atletico pressed, but Real held firm.
"Real Madrid always come out on top," Vinicius told Real Madrid TV. "I'm very pleased with the performance we put in today. We were in control from the start. We conceded a goal, but we kept our cool and did what we had to do so our fans could go home happy with another win."
Atletico's disappointing league campaign contrasts with their Copa del Rey form, where they will face Real Sociedad in next month's final after knocking Barcelona out in the semifinals. They also face Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals in a fortnight, after the international break.
They gave Real a proper fight, pressing until the final whistle of a hugely entertaining contest.
Real almost took the lead inside three minutes when Vinicius made a fabulous solo run from the left and was denied by a great save from Juan Musso, while Valverde hit the post after another fantastic run a few minutes later.
Giuliano Simeone made a selfless goal-line clearance to deny Vinicius from point-blank range inside the six-yard box in the 20th minute, blocking the Brazilian's effort twice.
Real paid dearly for their wastefulness when Atletico opened the scoring through Lookman's counter in the 33rd minute.
They found the equalizer seven minutes after the restart when Hancko lost his balance trying to dispossess Brahim inside the area, clumsily tripping the Moroccan to gift the hosts a penalty. Vinicius blasted it home to his left as Musso dived the wrong way.
Three minutes later, Valverde gave Real the lead after a schoolboy error from center back Gimenez, introduced at halftime to shore up the defense. The Uruguayan failed to deal with a routine pass, allowing Valverde to pounce on the loose ball, wrestle past the flailing defender, and fire past Musso.
Just as Real appeared in full control, Atletico conjured an equalizer from nothing in the 66th minute. Right back Molina tried his luck from 30 meters and sent a thunderous strike into the top-left corner.
Vinicius took matters into his own hands six minutes later, cutting diagonally from the left, dribbling past two opponents, and unleashing an unstoppable shot just inside the far post.
Then came a bewildering twist when Valverde was shown a straight red, but Real held firm to claim all three points.
