'Stop referee harassment now' - Atletico Madrid take brutal swipe at Mourinho and Real Madrid after fiery Madrid derby

The fallout from the Riyadh Air Metropolitano has reached a boiling point as Atletico Madrid used social media to mock Real Madrid’s reaction to their latest derby defeat. Diego Simeone's men secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory, but the post-match headlines were dominated by Mourinho’s explosive press conference.

The Portuguese tactician, visibly enraged by the officiating, took the unusual step of bringing printed evidence to his media briefing to highlight what he believed were game-changing errors.

Atletico responded to this display with a sharp post featuring an emoji of a printer, clearly referencing Mourinho's use of hard-copy images to plead his case. A direct message posted by the club, which stated, "Stop referee harassment now," served as a definitive rebuke to the pressure campaigns often mounted by their neighbors.

Mourinho arrived at the press auditorium holding a physical print-out of two specific incidents that he believed should have seen Atletico players dismissed. "We could have saved ourselves the press conference because the story of the match is here," Mourinho said while displaying the images. "They are two clear red cards."

The Real Madrid manager continued his tirade by suggesting that the environment in the league was not what he expected upon his return to the Spanish capital. In a near five-minute rant, he argued that the dismissal of Dean Huijsen significantly altered the complexion of a match that his side could have otherwise won. "If they leave us alone, calm, and let us compete on equal terms, there is still a long way to go. I don’t want to go too far and say that this is something set up. I don’t want to think about this," he added.

The standings offer a clear picture of the current landscape, yet the post-match discourse remains trapped in a whirlwind of media speculation. Clearly irritated by a press pack fixated on scandal rather than sporting merit, Simeone refused to bite when interrogated about the officiating. He stood his ground against the hunt for a viral soundbite, telling reporters: "You're looking for a headline. I don't need that headline. Let's talk about the match we played, not the game they want us to play."