Gabi provokes Real Madrid bench, Rüdiger responds: Madrid derby descends into insults

Last weekend’s Madrid derby was decided not only on the pitch: Atlético beat Real Madrid 2-1 in an explosive atmosphere, punctuated by incidents outside the frame of play.

Among the most striking scenes, cameras captured a particularly heated exchange between the two benches. Gabi, one of Diego Simeone’s assistants, taunted the Madrid bench by grabbing his crotch, before repeatedly hurling an obscene insult at Real Madrid. Antonio Rüdiger, then a substitute, did not let the affront pass and responded to the Colchoneros, fueling a war of words that lasted several minutes.

Tensions continued to rise in the tunnel leading to the dressing rooms at the end of the match. Pablo Vercellone, Atlético’s goalkeeper coach, and Pedro Machado, José Mourinho’s assistant at Real Madrid, both received red cards following a heated sequence in that corridor. Real Madrid had, for its part, hoped to see Cristian Romero and Kang-In Lee sanctioned during the match, without success.

Hostilities did not stop at the final whistle: the two clubs continued to clash through the media in the hours following the match, prolonging a rivalry that, on Sunday, largely overflowed the pitch.