In the first matchday of the 2026/27 Spanish La Liga season, Madrid's Atletico defeated Malaga at their home stadium. Malaga had returned to the top flight after an eight-year absence. The Matadores, under Diego Simeone, dominated throughout the match but were only able to break the deadlock in the second half. In the 70th minute, South Korean winger Lee Kang-in, who recently joined the club from Paris Saint-Germain, sent the ball past the visitors' goalkeeper.

The Closing Stages Decided the Outcome

After conceding, Malaga continued to hold off their opponents' pressure and kept their heads up until the final minutes. However, in the 85th minute, five minutes before full time, Alex Baena doubled the hosts' lead with a second goal that sealed the final score — a 2:0 win for Atletico. Thus, the Madrid side started their new season with a victory, albeit with some difficulties in the second half.

Summer Window: A Major Squad Overhaul

Atletico's biggest loss in the summer transfer window was Antoine Griezmann, who moved to American side Orlando City. In addition, the club was also left by Matteo Rugani (Aston Villa, €25m), Thiago Almada (River Plate, €20m), Nahuel Molina (Roma, €13m) and 21-year-old defender Julio Diaz (Sevilla, a nominal €1m). On the incoming front, the Madrid side signed Cristian Romero from Tottenham, Morten Hjulmand from Sporting and Lee Kang-in himself from PSG — €40m was paid for each of them — as well as Alejandro Grimaldo from Leverkusen's Bayer.

Upcoming Fixtures

In the next matchday, Atletico will face Villarreal: the match is scheduled for August 23, kick-off at 18:00. Malaga, meanwhile, will take on Deportivo in the same round, a side that, like Malaga, returned to the top tier of Spanish football after a long absence. Thus, both newly promoted clubs will continue their battle for survival as early as the second matchday.

Matchday Context

The Atletico — Malaga match coincided in time with the Champions League qualifying round play-offs, which also featured Ukrainian clubs. However, according to the source, the Ukrainian teams were unable to achieve a positive result in their respective ties on that matchday. For Atletico, though, the season start turned out to be successful: Simeone's side picked up their first three points and set the tone for the title race in the new season.