Diego Simeone almost never hands his highest praise to a rival. He handed it to Barcelona on Sunday.

“It looks like Barcelona is playing a different sport from the one we’re playing,” Simeone told ESPN after Atlético Madrid had beaten Real Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

“They didn’t have a number 9 striker, then Raphinha showed up and scored 12 goals. And Yamal, if I’m not mistaken, scored 7. They press you in your own stadium and steal your time, and they don’t fear taking risks and conceding a goal.”

“It seems like their way of receiving a goal makes them better. They’re the best right now.”

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Flick’s record-breaking start

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have won all seven of their opening La Liga matches, scoring 31 goals and conceding seven. That is 21 points, a five-point cushion over Atlético and six over José Mourinho’s Real Madrid.

The seven-win start is also Barcelona’s best ever, surpassing the six-in-a-row runs from 1929/30, 1960/61 and 2018/19. Raphinha, filling the central striker’s role Simeone flagged, has carried the load alongside Lamine Yamal.

Simeone jabs back at Mourinho

Atlético took the derby with two second-half goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David after Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen was dismissed in the 52nd minute for the foul that gave up the penalty. Antonio Rüdiger pulled one back in the 89th, according to the Associated Press.

Mourinho argued afterwards that two Atlético challenges should also have been red cards.

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“Not everything is permissible, even if your name is Mourinho,” Simeone said.

Atlético climbed above Real Madrid into second, though neither club closed the gap on Barcelona, who beat Sevilla 3-1 at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Saturday for their seventh straight league win.

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