BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 鈥� The cheers were back for Vin铆cius J煤nior at the Santiago Bernabeu after the Real Madrid forward scored twice in a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday, keeping his team in the thick of the La Liga title race.
Vin铆cius had to endure earlier this season following the and some .
But as the results have improved, so has Vin铆cius鈥� reception from Madrid鈥檚 supporters. Madrid has reached a high mark under new coach 脕lvaro Arbeloa with the win over Atletico 鈥� after a in September 鈥� and the in the Champions League.
And Vin铆c铆us has rightfully gotten some credit for the team鈥檚 recent improvement in form as he had helped to lead Madrid along with midfielder Federico Valverde, with stars Kylian Mbapp茅 and Jude Bellingham out injured.
Vin铆cius converted a penalty in the 52nd minute to cancel out Ademola Lookman鈥檚 first-half opener for Atletico before the speedy Madrid forward grabbed the winner with a curling strike in the 72nd.
鈥淎nother great game by Vini, it was an example of his character, his talent. It was a great goal that gave us a win in a difficult moment. I am lucky to have him on my team,鈥� Arbeloa said. 鈥淲e remain in the league fight. Mission accomplished.鈥�
Surprisingly, the goals were Vin铆cius鈥� first against Atletico in La Liga after 12 scoreless derbies for the player. He had scored once before against Atletico in the Copa del Rey.
鈥淚 have worked hard all season for games like this,鈥� Vin铆cius said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why, but when this time of the season arrives the goals and assists just flow.鈥�
Madrid had to hold on for the last 12 minutes when Valverde, who had scored to make it 2-1 before Nahuel Molina leveled for Atletico, got a direct red card for a tough-looking challenge on Alex Baena, who in 2023 after a game.
The sending off almost cost Madrid when Julian 脕lvarez got free and hit the post with 10 minutes to play.
But Arbeloa鈥檚 team saw out the final minutes to ensure second-place Madrid stayed within four points of Barcelona with nine games remaining.
Vin铆cius decides the derby
Lookman made it five goals since joining Atletico from Atalanta in the winter transfer window when Giuliano Simeone used an exquisite touch of the side of his boot to leave the Nigeria striker free to score in the 33rd.
Madrid had to wait until after the break to quickly turn things around. Vin铆cius equalized from the spot after Brahim D铆az was fouled in the box by David Hancko. Valverde then won the ball from Jos茅 Gim茅nez and made it 2-1 in the 55th, extending his league scoring run to three straight games in addition to his recent .
Atletico had looked finished but Molina came off the bench to lash in a long strike in the 66th before Vin铆cius restored Madrid’s advantage for good. He came in from the left flank and curled home the decider as Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal cheered from the VIP section of the Santiago Bernabeu.
鈥淲e could have done more in attack, and hopefully that can serve us for important games ahead,鈥� coach Diego Simeone said, referring to Atletico鈥檚 upcoming Champions League quarterfinal matches against Barcelona and its Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad.
Bellingham played the final 15 minutes in his first action since injuring a hamstring in his left leg in February.
Mbapp茅 went on in the 64th as he works his way back into form following a knee injury.
Neither side had its top goalkeeper between the posts with both out injured. Andriy Lunin started for Madrid in place of Thibaut Courtois, while Juan Musso was in for Atletico鈥檚 Jan Oblak.
Garc铆a’s goalkeeping ensures Barcelona win
Barcelona edged Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at Camp Nou earlier Sunday to keep up its winning form before the international break.
Ronald Ara煤jo headed in the game’s only goal in the 24th from a corner kick, and goalkeeper Joan Garc铆a’s impressive performance showed why he is most likely heading to the with Spain.
鈥淭his is why we bought him,鈥� coach Hansi Flick said about Garc铆a. Barcelona paid crosstown rival Espanyol 25 million euros (now $28.9 million) for Garc铆a last summer.
Garc铆a was for the first time on Friday ahead of two friendly matches which will serve as warmups for this summer鈥檚 World Cup.
Stunning comeback for Alaves
Alaves achieved one of the club’s most memorable wins after it erased a three-goal deficit at Celta Vigo to secure a 4-3 victory.
Opta Statistics said that was the first time a team has won on the road after trailing 3-0 in La Liga this century.
鈥淚 have never been part of a comeback like this,鈥� said new Alaves coach Quique S谩nchez Flores, who was in his third game in charge.
Also, Athletic Bilbao beat Real Betis 2-1 in the first match since Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde said he would at the end of the season.
___
AP soccer:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
