Cristian Romero escaped being sent off for a nasty-looking challenge on Jude Bellingham in the Madrid derby.Atletico Madrid defender Romero caught Bellingham on the knee as the Real Madrid midfielder sild in to try and tackle him.VAR advised referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias to check for a possible red card for RomeroESPNDid Romero get away with one?Bellingham was initially booked before referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias was sent to the pitchside monitor to review the incident.Romero was then booked instead – but he might have been lucky not to receive stronger punishment.Bellingham was visibly in pain after taking studs to his knee, but the England star was able to play on.The first meeting of these two rivals saw three yellow cards in the first half alone, with Romero’s centre-back teammate Marc Pubill also going into the book – along with Atletico boss Diego Simeone, just six minutes into the contest at the Estadio Metropolitano.Real Madrid were then reduced to ten men at the start of the second half when defender Dean Huijsen was sent off with Atleti taking the lead moments later through an Alejandro Grimaldo penalty. Romero joined Atleti this summer, arriving after a five-year spell at Tottenham, where he served as captain.The 28-year-old was part of the Argentina squad that reached the 2026 World Cup final, losing to Spain in an ill-tempered affair.He’s featured in each of Atleti’s last five games, helping them to LaLiga wins over Real Sociedad and Osasuna.The red card comes out eventuallyIn the end, it was the visitors who found themselves down to 10 men.A matter of minutes into the second half, Dean Huijsen saw red for a foul in the box, for which Atleti were awarded a penalty.Huijsen was sent off with more than half an hour left to playGettyAlex Grimaldo duly dispatched from 12 yards to break the deadlock.And it soon got even better for the hosts, who doubled their leas through Jonathan David.Atleti have fared well in recent home LaLiga clashes with their bitter rivals, winning two and drawing one of the last three.Simeone’s side came into this game off the back of two comprehensive league victories, keeping clean sheets in both.Real Madrid, with Jose Mourinho back for a second spell in charge, had been in similarly good nick, winning their last three matches in all competitions.But the first derby of the campaign looked to have got away from them during a chaotic first 15 minutes of the second half.This is a developing story and is being updated.For the latest updates, breaking news alerts, and comprehensive analysis, refresh this page or follow our real-time news coverage by watching and listening to talkSPORT live.For broader context, explore related coverage on our homepage for the top trending stories. For the latest talkSPORT videos, download the app.talkSPORT cares about getting it right, not just getting it first and because this is a developing situation, details will change. We will be updating this page constantly with verified info, expert takes, and official statements.Stay tuned for further developments as this story continues to break.