Simeone Hits Back at Mourinho Over Atletico’s Controversial Derby Win

Atletico Madrid moved above Real Madrid into second place after winning a heated derby at the Metropolitano, but the post-match focus quickly shifted from the result to Jose Mourinho’s criticism of the officials and Diego Simeone’s defence of refereeing standards.

Why the derby result matters

The victory gives Atletico a significant lift in the title race, with Simeone encouraged by a side he believes is still taking shape. He pointed to the growing role of new arrivals Jonathan David and Julian Alvarez, while stressing that the squad remains in a period of development rather than a finished product.

Simeone said a one-goal advantage had not been sufficient and praised his players for staying composed once they held a numerical advantage. He felt Atletico controlled the contest, particularly by limiting an opponent whose transitions can cause major problems.

“It was an intense game and we had control throughout,” Simeone said. “We stopped a team with very strong transitions and dealt with nearly all of them.”

Simeone rejects Mourinho’s refereeing attack

Mourinho arrived for his media duties armed with images from the match and delivered an extended complaint about decisions made by the officials. His main objections centred on Cuti Romero avoiding a red card for a challenge on Jude Bellingham, followed later by Huijsen’s dismissal for Real Madrid.

The Real Madrid manager argued that the contest would have developed very differently had the early incidents been punished as he believed they should have been. Displaying the images to reporters, Mourinho maintained that there had been two sending-off offences and referred to the difficulty his side faced once reduced to 10 players.

Simeone did not accept that the derby should be defined solely by those calls. While saying he respects the opinions of other managers, the Atletico coach insisted that prominent figures must not undermine referees, even when a team believes decisions have gone in its favour.

He argued that coaches have a responsibility to preserve respect for officials in high-pressure fixtures. In Simeone’s view, allowing that standard to slip would create the impression that any public attack is acceptable, regardless of the manager involved.

The Argentine also rejected the suggestion that Atletico’s win came down to good fortune. He acknowledged the debate around Romero’s challenge, but maintained that concentrating only on one incident ignored the broader work his side put into the performance.

Asked whether Atletico had been the better team, Simeone declined to offer a headline-grabbing verdict. Instead, he urged attention to remain on the football played and his team’s execution of the game plan rather than the argument that followed the final whistle.

Dispute set to continue

Mourinho’s complaints over the Romero incident and Huijsen’s red card remain the central points of disagreement, while Atletico will seek to build on a derby win that has strengthened their position behind Barcelona.