Wow! What an afternoon. The Madrid Derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid was unbelievable. Derbies always have a reputation for being great games as they are between cross town rivals, so the atmosphere is festive and the competition is fierce. Today's game did not disappoint on either of those fronts.

From the minute you walked up to Bernabeu stadium you could feel the electricity in the air. The crowd - of mostly Real Madrid fans - was ready for the match. Everyone moved along to their seats quickly and efficiently. The boys all had a moment to stop and buy game day scarves so everyone was decked out with appropriate swag walking into the event.

Once you got inside it was electric. The crowd was already buzzing before the seats were even halfway full. You could watch both teams warm up, but as soon as the starting 11 took to the field the cheers and jeers filled the stadium. As the starting line-ups were announced, Atletico Madrid players were whistled at by the crowd showing their disapproval. The loudest whistles came when Diego Simone, Atletico's manager, was announced.

It was the complete opposite for the Real Madrid line-up. The crowd cheered as each position was announced. The loudest cheers came when the biggest names flashed up on the screen - Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, and for one particular mom on our team (yes, I'm talking to you Amy Leonard), Cristiano Renaldo.

The game was close in the first half. Plenty of opportunities by both teams and some amazing displays of goalkeeping by both keepers. We went into halftime with score tied 0-0. Shortly into the second half, Pepe scored for Real Madrid to put them up 1-0. Atletico did not give up and their persistence was rewarded with a goal in the 40th minute to tie the score 1-1. After 4 minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the whistle and the game ended in a draw.

Given how tired these boys were, the excitement and energy from the stadium carried them through the jet lag after a long night of travel. A quick stop for dinner and then the lure of their hotel room beds had each of them back in their rooms by 8:30.

What a day to start off the trip!