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Derby matches can be great equalizers, and facing Atletico Madrid away from home, Real Madrid learned that lesson the hard way, losing 5-2 to their toughest opposition of the season. Julian Alvarez won the duel of the stars with a brace that included an incredible free kick, and Xabi Alonso suffered his first defeat as the manager of Real Madrid this season.

The Riyadh Air Metropolitano was rocking as it only took 14 minutes for Robin Le Normand to put Atletico Madrid ahead, and it was a goal that would foreshadow quite a lot in the match. Real Madrid struggled to deal with Atleti's physicality and the ability of Alexander Soloroth in the air. Alvaro Carras and Dean Huijsen were tepid in their first Madrid derby, and it led to Los Blancos getting dominated.

There were good moments in the match, such as Kylian Mbappe finishing from a tight angle and Arda Guler finishing off a lovely team goal, but when a defense concedes five, there isn't much to celebrate. Real Madrid were dominated in every facet of the game except possession, conceding a penalty and allowing 13 shots for a 2.31 xG. Antoine Griezmann even ended a 22-match LaLiga scoreless streak for Atletico Madrid during the match.

Everything that could go wrong in the derby did, and in some ways that's a good thing. Under Alonso, while Real Madrid have looked like a strong team, they've gotten every bounce right this season to even get penalties when they're down a man, such as when they defeated Olympique Marseille in Champions League play. That can't always be relied on so a rethink after this result is critical. 

Physicality will be a concern for Real Madrid, as that's something that Antonio Rudiger generally dealt with in previous years. But out with a leg injury -- and not playing much under Alonso when he was healthy --  Los Blancos will need an answer for matches like this. Facing Kairat Almaty in Champions League play this week won't be as much of a challenge, but it will offer a chance for Jude Bellignham to shake off the rust that showed in his first appearance of the season.

Bellingham has missed time due to shoulder surgery, but his return will be a boost to the Real Madrid attack and the press. If the press breaks down, that's where these center backs will need to show that they can handle the challenge of physical attackers, though. It's good that this loss came early because it means that there's plenty of time to change things around and recover from this.

The Real Madrid attack will ensure that they can only fall so far as Vinicius Junior, Bellingham, and Mbappe are an unstoppable trio, but with Real Madrid's start to the season, they made you wonder if this is a generational team. They can still show that this is the case, but how they bounce back from their first setback of the season will go a long way to see if they can set records.