PIX: Vinicius nets brace as Real Madrid edge Atletico in thriller

Real Madrid squeezed past Atletico in a pulsating Madrid derby while Inter were held, keeping Serie A title race alive.

Vinicius Jr scored twice as Real Madrid fought back to beat visitors Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a breathless Spanish capital derby on Sunday, keeping Alvaro Arbeloa's side within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

Billed as a relatively low-key Madrid derby, with Atletico sitting a distant fourth in the table, the match instead delivered a five-goal spectacle between the rivals.

It had everything -- stunning goals from both sides and a straight red card to Real captain Federico Valverde that reduced the hosts to 10 men in the dying minutes.

Atletico's Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finishing a slick counter-attack involving Matteo Ruggeri and a delightful backheel from Giuliano Simeone.

Vinicius equalised from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after David Hancko clumsily tripped Brahim Diaz, and Valverde capitalised on a Jose Maria Gimenez error three minutes later to make it 2-1 to Real.

Nahuel Molina silenced Real's Bernabeu stadium with a thunderous 30-metre strike in the 66th minute, but Vinicius restored Real's lead with a cracking solo effort six minutes later.

Valverde then saw red for an inexplicable challenge on Alex Baena, and Julian Alvarez struck the post as Atletico pressed, but Real held firm.

'IN CONTROL FROM THE START'

"Real Madrid always come out on top," Vinicius told Real Madrid TV.

"I'm very pleased with the performance we put in today. We were in control from the start; we conceded a goal, but we kept our cool and did what we had to do so our fans could go home happy with another win."

Atletico's disappointing league campaign contrasts starkly with their Copa del Rey form, where they will face Real Sociedad in next month's final after knocking Barcelona out in the semis. They also face Barca in the Champions League quarter-finals in a fortnight, after the international break.

They gave Real a proper fight, pressing until the final whistle of a hugely entertaining contest.

Real almost took the lead inside three minutes when Vinicius made a fabulous solo run from the left and was denied by a great save from Juan Musso, while Valverde hit the post after another fantastic run a few minutes later.

Giuliano Simeone made a selfless goal-line clearance to deny Vinicius from point-blank range inside the six-yard box in the 20th minute, blocking the Brazilian's effort twice.

REAL PAY FOR WASTEFULNESS

Real paid dearly for their wastefulness when Atletico opened the scoring through Lookman's counter in the 33rd minute.

Yet they found the equaliser seven minutes after the restart when Hancko lost his balance trying to dispossess Brahim inside the area, clumsily tripping the Moroccan to gift the hosts a penalty. Vinicius blasted it home to his left as Musso dived the wrong way.

Three minutes later Valverde gave Real the lead after a schoolboy error from centre back Gimenez, introduced at halftime to shore up the defence. The Uruguayan failed to deal with a routine pass, allowing Valverde to pounce on the loose ball, wrestle past the flailing defender and fire past Musso.

Just as Real appeared in full control, Atletico conjured an equaliser from nothing in the 66th minute. Right back Molina tried his luck from 30 metres and sent a thunderous strike arrowing into the top-left corner.

Vinicius took matters into his own hands six minutes later, cutting in diagonally from the left, dribbling past two opponents and unleashing an unstoppable shot just inside the far post.

Then came a bewildering twist when Valverde was flashed a straight red, but Real held firm to claim all three points.

Alaves stage stunning comeback from 3-0 down to sink Celta

Deportivo Alaves produced one of the comebacks of the season on Sunday, recovering from 3-0 down after 37 minutes to stun hosts Celta Vigo 4-3 and haul themselves three points clear of the LaLiga relegation zone.

Celta's total first-half dominance gave way to a breathtaking Alaves fightback that turned delirium into despair for the home fans at Celta's Balaidos stadium in Galicia.

Celta, buoyed by their recent Europa League elimination of Olympique Lyonnais to advance to the quarter-finals, tore into a passive Alaves defence from the start. Ferran Jutgla helped himself to a brace, tormenting the visitors at will, with Hugo Alvarez adding to the party to leave the visitors in tatters.

Only a goal from Toni Martinez just before halftime offered a flicker of hope, softening the blow of a scoreline that would have plunged Alaves into the drop zone.

New manager Quique Sanchez Flores rolled the dice at the break, making four substitutions that transformed his side beyond recognition. The Basque team emerged with renewed pace and intensity, and suddenly Celta could not cope.

Angel Perez hauled Alaves back into contention before Martinez completed a superb individual display by netting the equaliser in the 74th minute. Four minutes later, Abderrahman Rebbach sealed the remarkable turnaround with a stunning strike to spark wild celebrations among the travelling support.

The victory lifts Alaves three points above the relegation places and hands Sanchez Flores a result his players will not soon forget.

Inter held to draw at Fiorentina 

Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina on Sunday as the hosts' Cher Ndour scored a second-half equaliser to cancel out Francesco Pio Esposito’s first-minute opener and dent the visitors' Serie A title charge.

Following AC Milan’s 3-2 victory over Torino on Saturday, the result in Florence trimmed Inter’s lead at the summit to six points, leaving the leaders on 69 points with eight matches remaining and offering fresh hope to their city rivals.

"We knew the three points were crucial for us, and Fiorentina deserve credit, but we didn't play our best game, and it's not our best moment. But it's all in our hands," said Inter assistant coach Aleksandar Kolarov.

“They (Fiorentina) have been on good form recently, so I see a point here as relatively positive," he added, stepping in for suspended manager Cristian Chivu.

INSTANT INTER GOAL

Inter needed 39 seconds to make their intent clear, capitalising on a botched clearance that allowed Nicolo Barella to whip in a cross from the byline for Esposito to head home from close range.

Both sides traded chances in an open first half and each had a strike ruled out for offside before the interval. Barella was denied for the visitors, as was Fiorentina’s Moise Kean, who also had several other opportunities to level the score that went begging before the break.

While the second half lacked fluency, Fiorentina grew increasingly dominant, with Kean acting as the primary engine for the hosts.

Fiorentina’s second-half persistence finally told 13 minutes from time when Inter keeper Yann Sommer could only parry Albert Gudmundsson’s low drive into the path of an unmarked Ndour, who tapped home the equaliser.

Buoyed by a vocal home crowd and sensing an upset, Fiorentina continued to press, with Jack Harrison dragging a shot just wide of the post minutes later.

In the dying seconds, Inter almost snatched a winner when Esposito controlled a cross with his back to goal, turned under pressure and fired a goalbound effort, only for Fiorentina keeper David de Gea to produce a superb reaction save.

The result also provided a small cushion for Fiorentina, who gained a point in their fight for survival. The draw leaves them 16th on 29 points, two clear of 18th-placed Lecce in the final relegation spot.

“Changing objective to fighting relegation is tough to handle, especially in such a demanding environment as Florence," Fiorentina manager Paolo Vanoli told DAZN.

"We put in a great performance, and I also congratulate the entire staff. It was tough against a physical team that had had a week to prepare. We could have tied it in the first half, but this year the ball just doesn't go in."