Alonso's "battle to defend his coaching position" has become the Vinicius vs. Simeone 3.0 showdown.

By Han Bing. With Valverde’s spectacular free kick at 77 seconds and Rodrigo’s goal in the 55th minute of the second half, Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory over Atlético to advance to the Supercopa final. At the end of last year, the Spanish media viewed the Supercopa as the "final exam" for Alonso’s managerial position. Mbappé’s absence worried Madrid supporters, but luck ultimately sided with Real. However, winning the Madrid derby is only the first hurdle in Alonso’s "battle to keep his job"; the national derby against Barcelona on January 11th will be an even tougher and more decisive challenge.

Despite the win, Real Madrid’s overall team performance was unsatisfactory. Valverde’s powerful free kick at 77 seconds partly succeeded due to Atlético’s defensive wall of only three players failing. The Uruguayan’s shot reached speeds up to 108 km/h, giving Madrid the lead. Afterwards, Real chose to fall back defensively, allowing Atlético to dominate most of the match. Carreras’s attacks down the left flank troubled Madrid’s defense. Marca harshly commented: "This was the worst derby in recent years, an embarrassingly low-quality game that did not reflect the level expected from both teams. Both sides were far from their best form."

In the 55th minute of the second half, Valverde assisted Rodrigo’s goal. Rodrigo, who had gone 32 consecutive matches without scoring, has recently revived his form with 3 goals and 3 assists in the last 6 games. In contrast, Vinicius remains disappointing, extending his goal drought to 16 matches for Real, seeming out of sync with everyone and everything. Courtois faced 10 shots in just the first half, with Atlético taking 22 shots overall. Atlético led in shots on target (6 to 4), possession (55% to 45%), and corners (9 to 1), making Courtois the last line of defense preserving Madrid’s victory.

Atlético also had chances to equalize. Three minutes after Rodrigo’s goal, Simeone’s son assisted Cerrolt to pull one back. Later, Griezmann’s bicycle kick was saved by Courtois, and Tchouaméni blocked what would have been a certain goal from the French striker. In five minutes of added time, Álvarez’s shot was deflected by the right goalpost. Despite dominating the stats, Atlético failed to convert their numerical advantage into a result.

Alonso passed the first test of his coaching position, but Real paid a high price. Center-back Rüdiger is likely to miss the Supercopa final, while Raúl Asensio and goal scorer Rodrigo await medical evaluations, with possible absences. Mbappé flew to Saudi Arabia and trained, but Alonso admitted that Mbappé’s appearance in the final is only a possibility. Considering Barcelona’s 5-0 thrashing of Athletic Bilbao in the semifinal, concerns about Real’s form in the final are inevitable.

Besides advancing and maintaining a five-match winning streak across competitions, Real Madrid’s actual condition showed no clear improvement. After the match, goal scorer Valverde admitted: "We must self-criticize; the opponent played better."

Interestingly, while Alonso survived the decisive match for his coaching fate, the spotlight shifted to the dispute between Atlético coach Simeone and Vinicius. Their quarrels began during the King’s Cup round of 16 last year, and the last three derbies have become a "trilogy" of conflicts. In this match, both were on the same side of the pitch in the first half. Simeone, irritated by Vinicius’s persistent verbal provocations, complained to the fourth official Verdura. He was caught on camera saying: "Florentino will fire you, remember my words." Before halftime, Simeone even called over Real captain Carvajal; after the game, Simeone claimed he was protesting Vinicius’s provocations.

At the 81st minute, Vinicius was substituted early. Simeone made a gesture to the jeering crowd, and Vinicius responded with a "see you after the match" challenge. Alonso loudly warned Simeone: "Stay in your own area." After the final whistle, Vinicius, still wearing his jacket, waited on the sidelines for Simeone, ready to continue the confrontation. Post-match, Vinicius commented under Romano’s social media post: "You lost another knockout match," continuing the war of words with Simeone.

Vinicius has now gone 19 consecutive matches without scoring across all competitions (16 matches for Real Madrid). In almost 19 Madrid derbies, he has scored only once. If his form does not improve soon, he will remain a ticking time bomb affecting Alonso’s coaching position at Real.