Atletico Madrid stunned by Espanyol in La Liga opener | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid made the worst possible start to the 2025/26 La Liga season after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Espanyol.

All eyes were on Los Rojiblancos on the back of an impressive spending spree, but those expectations were halted in their league opener last night.

Atletico broke the deadlock in the 37th minute following an outstanding free kick from Julian Alvarez, who picked up from where he left last season.

The visitors dominated the game for long spells and could have doubled the lead following a swift interplay before Alvarez’s final shot hit the woodwork.

While Atletico hoped that three points were a mere formality, the hosts turned the game on its head in the final quarter.

Miguel Rubio sneaked behind Atletico’s defence to score a header off a free kick to equalise.

Pere Milla quickly netted another exquisite header off Omar El Hilali’s cross to complete a stunning comeback victory.

Espanyol deserved to claim the victory after soaking up the pressure for much of the game with their tight defending.

Atletico have stumbled in their quest to challenge for the league title with a revamped squad, having failed to win a major silverware since 2021.

Manager Diego Simeone accepted the blame for the defeat and stated it was an early wake-up call to bounce back stronger this season.

New signings Johnny Cardoso, Matteo Ruggeri and Thiago Almada looked solid on their league debut and will be hoping to make a significant impact in future.

Except for Alvarez, Atletico’s attack was rather underwhelming, and Simeone will be looking to fix it ahead of their next game against Elche.