Jude Bellingham injures Atletico Madrid player during derby defeat
Jude Bellingham is suspected to have caused Angel Correa’s knee ligament injury with a strong tackle during the Madrid derby over the weekend.
Atletico Madrid comfortably swept aside an in-form Real Madrid on Sunday evening, preying on their defensive weaknesses out wide to secure a 3-1 win at the Civitas Metropolitano thanks to a brace from Alvaro Morata and a header from Antoine Griezmann.
Atleti’s dominance led to notable angst from Carlo Ancelotti’s team late in the game, with superstar Bellingham cutting a particularly frustrated figure on his way to his first defeat with his new club since joining in the summer.
Tensions ultimately boiled over in added time at the end of the match when Bellingham recklessly threw himself into a sliding challenge on Argentine forward Correa, catching the back of his left leg in the process. Pushing and shoving ensued in the aftermath between both sets of players, and Bellingham ultimately received a yellow card for his dangerous tackle.
Speaking to the press about the incident after the game, Atletico boss Diego Simeone was notably furious that Bellingham was not dismissed over the incident, saying: „Jude Bellingham’s challenge looked like a red card when I saw it live. For me, Bellingham should have been sent off.“
Now Atletico Madrid have confirmed that Correa will miss several weeks of action after an MRI confirmed that the forward suffered a grade one sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his knee.
While it was not been officially noted that the injury was picked up due to Bellingham’s foul, Atleti’s official press release announcing the injury included a photo of the England star sliding into the side of Correa’s standing leg late in the game.
Having avoided a red card for committing the foul, Bellingham will be back in action for Madrid when they face off against Las Palmas at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. A win will see Los Blancos go back above Barcelona in the La Liga table after their 2-2 draw with Mallorca in midweek.