28 September 2025
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso apologized to his team's fans following the crushing defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday in the Spanish League. Real Madrid, led by coach Xabi Alonso, suffered a crushing 5-2 defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid in the derby match that took place at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in the seventh round of the Spanish League on Saturday.
In candid statements following the match, Xabi Alonso did not seek excuses, acknowledging his team's poor performance, saying: "It was a bad match. We didn't play well collectively or with the pressure. We weren't up to the required level. This is our first loss, but it hurts because it came in the Madrid derby." He added: "We are in a building phase and must draw conclusions from what happened. We cannot justify what happened, but perhaps this damage will be a positive turning point in the future."
Alonso also expressed concern about the players' performance, particularly their mental state: "What worries me is that we lacked competitiveness. We didn't compete with the necessary intensity. We didn't enter the match well. The team seemed lost, and we need to raise our tempo. We weren't fluid in possession, and we couldn't win back possession in the opponent's areas. We didn't play intelligently." With this result, Real Madrid, led by Xabi Alonso, remains at 18 points from seven matches, opening the door for Barcelona, who have 16 points, to temporarily top the table if they win against Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, increased their points tally to 12, moving up to fourth place, confirming their return to competition after a sluggish start to the season.
