Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid Results, Goal Highlights, Analysis: What We Learned From Atletico's 2-1 Win

By David Salazar First Posted: Sep 13, 2014 05:32 PM EDT

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid revisited their rivalry on Saturday in an essential match early in the 2014-15 season.

The teams were meeting for the third time in a month and the seventh time in 2014 and as become the recent trend, Atletico Madrid won yet again.

Here is what we learned from the big game:

Real Madrid Still Weak on Set Pieces

This seems like beating a dead horse. The team was dismantled by Atletico in the Spanish Super Cup on the setpiece and through the air and this game proved that the team still has a lot to work on to improve in this area.

The corner from Koke was once again met by Tiago with relative ease inside the six yard box. Karim Benzema, the team's striker, was the one with the woeful task of defending the cross, which speaks to the lack of organization from the team in this instance. Iker Casillas, who was serenaded with boos every time he touched the ball, remained rooted to his line and had no real reaction to the play except to complain to his teammates.

Whether this is his fault or not is certainly a question for debate. He could have challenged the low cross and either caught it or cleared it away. It is proving to be a real issue with him as his lack of proactivity seems to be rubbing off on the rest of the defense when it comes to setpieces.

Real Without Ideas

There have been a lot of questions about how the team would make up for the departures of Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria. James Rodriguez did not seem likely to fit into the 4-3-3 system and neither Luka Modric or Toni Kroos were far from ideal defensive midfielders.

Many expected a lineup change, but Carlo Ancelotti essentially went with the same team that struggled against Real Sociedad two weeks ago. The team struggled in the early going, but once the goal against came Real Madrid played what has surely been its best run of play in 2014-15. The team was winning back possession in Atletico's half. Rodriguez and Bale were interchanging on the right wing.

Ronaldo was constantly destroying Atletico's defense on that right flank and it is on that side that he managed to win the penalty.

It was a brilliant move from Ancelotti and company, as the emphasis on playing on the right exposed Atletico's greatest weakness in Guilherme Siqueira while essentially leaving Juanfran out of most of the first half.

Rodriguez was particularly impressive in the Di Maria role. He was tracking back, winning the ball and creating chances up top.

But that was only for the first 45 minutes.

The second half was a very different story as Los Blancos struggled to generate any kind of offense in the second.

It was disastrous for the team as the hosts could not pick apart a far more disciplined Atletico defense. Ronaldo, who dominated the first half, seemingly disappeared and the rest of the team withered away with him.

Jose Miguel Moya Is Man of the Match

For the first 45 minutes of the game, Atletico Madrid's keeper Jose Miguel Moya was tested time and time again. He made a huge save on a Gareth Bale setpiece before making a tremendous stop on a Karim Benzema header right next to his goal. He was constantly making big stops to keep the game at 1-1 and ultimately made the difference as his team rallied around his effort, defended well and found a way to win.

Cristiano Ronaldo Is Back

There was a lot of concern over whether Madrid's top player would be back at his best in this one. And sure enough, Ronaldo stepped up when it mattered most. He harassed Siquiera down the right wing repeatedly and created chance after chance. He set up James Rodriguez for a shot the Colombian mishandled. He set up Benzema twice on the doorstep. He created his penalty opportunity and then finished it.

However, the man cannot do it alone and his team was passing poorly and rarely giving him a chance to touch the ball. He cut an isolated figure on the top in the later stages of the game and his absence hurt Madrid greatly.

Fortunately, he seems to be back and that could only mean good things to come.

Benzema and Bale Falter

Benzema had solid some chances to score in this game. One was a tremendous stop from Moya, but the other will live in infamy during the post-match analysis. Ronaldo found himself surrounded by three defenders so he slipped the ball in between and put Benzema in alone. He was onside and all he needed was to control the ball and fire it in. He failed at the first and his horrid first touch made it easy for Moya to recover the ball and end the play.

Meanwhile, Bale failed to make much impact after his free kick. He was rather peripheral throughout and constantly made bad passes that cost his team possession.

Chicharito Does Little in Debut

The Mexican made his debut, but it was far from what he would have liked it to be. He had six touches, earned a yellow card and did not get any chances at goal. Those will come and he will likely improve, but he was far from the impact sub the team needed late in the game.