Sunday in La Liga was all about the Madrid derby, as Real Madrid pulled off a dramatic comeback to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Elsewhere, Barcelona kept their four-point lead at the top with a narrow 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Spotify Camp Nou. Check out the full day’s round-up here.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
Vinicius Jr scored twice as Real Madrid fought back to beat visitors Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a breathless Spanish capital derby on Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa’s side within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona.
Billed as a relatively low-key Madrid derby, with Atletico sitting a distant fourth in the table, the match instead delivered a five-goal spectacle between the rivals. It had everything — stunning goals from both sides and a straight red card to Real captain Federico Valverde that reduced the hosts to 10 men in the dying minutes.
Soy lucha. Soy belleza. pic.twitter.com/gjz0DYX0JB
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 22, 2026
Atletico’s Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finishing a slick counter-attack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful backheel from Giuliano Simeone.
Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Valverde capitalised on a Jose Maria Gimenez error three minutes later to make it 2-1 to Real.
Nahuel Molina silenced Real‘s Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-metre strike in the 66th minute, but Vinicius restored Real‘s lead with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.
Valverde then saw red for an inexplicable 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 starkly with their Copa del Rey form, where they will face Real Sociedad in next month’s final after knocking Barcelona out in the semis. They also face Barca in the Champions League quarter-finals in a fortnight, after the international break.
Also Read: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz Exits Miami Open Post ‘Stunning’ Upset Against Sebastian Korda
Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano
Ronald Araujo’s first-half header gave Barcelona a 1-0 win at home against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, with goalkeeper Joan Garcia delivering a standout performance to preserve the Catalan side’s lead at the top of LaLiga. Barcelona lead the standings with 73 points, seven ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand and will host fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in a Spanish capital derby later on Sunday.
“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀”
🎙️ – Pedri – pic.twitter.com/RXtQFLHX0t
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 23, 2026
Ronald Araujo scored the winner in the 24th minute heading in from a corner lifted by Joao Cancelo from the left. The Portuguese international crossed the ball to the far post, where the Uruguayan defender jumped higher than Pathe Ciss to nod it in off the right post.
However, the key man for the home side was goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who made a string of saves to deny Rayo what would have been a deserved equaliser, earning the 24-year-old the man of the match award. “Joan is a fantastic player, and he’s showing why we signed him last summer. He was outstanding today,” Barcelona boss Hansi Flick told DAZN.
Garcia set the tone in the opening minute, producing a brilliant save to deny Carlos Martin after a surging run down the left by Pep Chavarria. Raphinha squandered a golden opportunity in the 13th minute, failing to capitalise on a defensive error from Rayo as he missed wide in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Augusto Batalla, before Araujo opened the scoring.
Raphinha came close again in the 29th minute, striking the crossbar with a curling effort from the edge of the area. Batalla managed to get a fingertip to the shot, pushing it onto the bar.
Barcelona dominated the first half, but Rayo rallied after the break, using quick counter-attacks to threaten the hosts. Garcia again rose to the occasion, making a superb reflex save in the 59th minute to deny Alvaro Garcia’s powerful strike from a tight angle.
Three minutes later, Garcia parried away Isi Palazon’s header from a corner, demonstrating his razor-sharp instincts once more as Rayo piled on the pressure.
Rayo’s best chance to equalise came in the 83rd minute, but Pacha Espino spurned a glorious opportunity, firing wide in a one-on-one with Garcia before collapsing in disbelief.
Garcia capped his stellar performance in the 89th minute, thwarting Jorge de Frutos’ close-range effort to secure all three points for Barcelona.
The victory leaves Barcelona well-placed in their quest to defend their LaLiga title, putting extra pressure on rivals Real Madrid as they host Atletico later on Sunday.
Celta Vigo vs Deportivo Alaves
In a wild night of La Liga, Deportivo Alaves defeated Celta Vigo 4-3 at Balaidos after trailing 3-1 at halftime. Celta dominated early, with Ferran Jutgla scoring twice and assisting Hugo Alvarez in a blistering first half.
However, Alaves turned the game around after the break with three key substitutions. Toni Martinez sparked the comeback with two goals and an assist, while Angel Perez and substitute Abderrahman Rebbach also played huge role.
Rebbach netted the winner in the 78th minute to complete the turnaround. Despite Celta’s strong start and slight edge in possession and xG, defensive errors and missed control in the second half cost them dearly.
Athletic Club vs Real Betis
Athletic Club boosted their Champions League hopes with a 2-1 win over Real Betis at San Mames. After a tight opening, Dani Vivian broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with a header from Nico Williams’ cross.
Athletic extended their lead in the second half when Oihan Sancet finished a well-worked move in the 62nd minute. Betis responded late through Chimy Avila’s powerful strike in the 84th minute, setting up a tense finale. However, Athletic’s defence held firm under pressure to secure all three points, moving them closer to a top-four spot.
(With inputs from Reuters)
