After battling Juventus away, Real Madrid returned to La Liga and immediately faced the Madrid derby.
Atletico Madrid had withdrawn from the title races in every competition early this season. They currently trailed Real Madrid and Barcelona by more than ten points in La Liga, leaving the league without any real suspense, but that also allowed them to focus entirely on the league.
Unlike Real Madrid, who had played Juventus away, Atletico Madrid had conserved their strength and waited for their opportunity.
Yang Yang was placed on the bench for this match. Real Madrid's starting lineup used the 4-3-3 Formation, with Suarez as the lone striker and Hazard and Mbappé on either wing.
After the match began, Real Madrid played aggressively and created chances repeatedly, but unfortunately, their luck was poor.
Nine minutes into the match, Real Madrid launched a series of attacks in front of Atletico Madrid's goal. Suarez, Mbappé, and David Silva all created chances in succession. David Silva, in particular, was tripped inside the penalty area, but the referee refused to award a penalty.
Hazard's direct shot also struck the post and failed to find the net.
Real Madrid continued to attack. Marcelo once again curled a shot from outside the penalty area, hitting the upper-right corner of the goal frame.
They had struck the post twice in the first half and won a full nine corners, yet they still failed to score. Real Madrid's terrible luck was obvious.
Whether it was Yang Yang, Zidane, or the players within the squad, they had all been mentally prepared for the team's situation.
Sometimes, what people called luck was actually just a reflection of a team's performance on the field.
The midweek match against Juventus had drained Real Madrid too heavily. As a result, they were somewhat powerless against