Alonso urges Real Madrid to learn from humiliating derby defeat

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has called on his side to take lessons from their 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Saturday — a result he admitted was both painful and deserved.

The defeat was Madrid’s first of the LaLiga season and marked the first time in 75 years that Atletico had scored five goals against their city rivals.

Speaking after the game, Alonso did not hold back in his assessment of his team’s performance. “We didn’t start well, but this is ongoing. We must draw conclusions. It’s a deserved defeat… we lacked a gear. A defeat that hurts, yes,” he told reporters.

The former midfielder stressed that while the setback was hard to swallow, it could provide valuable lessons going forward. “Perhaps it will be beneficial for the future. We didn’t start well in the duels, in the ball to space. We were too much like losers. The game didn’t flow. A bad match overall, a deserved defeat.”

Alonso highlighted Madrid’s lack of intensity and focus as key reasons for the collapse, insisting that improvements are non-negotiable if they want to compete at the highest level. “The explanation is that we did not perform at our usual level. And it has to hurt, but it has to be a pain that we use positively. We lacked intensity and focus. We had an idea, but we need to evaluate it further. We didn’t compete enough — not at the level required for these matches, against these opponents. And we’ll have to raise it.”

The derby humiliation leaves Real Madrid needing to regroup quickly as they look to get their season back on track.