- Espanyol stuns Atletico Madrid with dramatic late goals.
- Julian Alvarez’s free-kick opener not enough for Simeone’s men.
- Diego Simeone’s revamped squad off to a shaky La Liga start.
Espanyol delivered an early upset in the 2025/26 La Liga season by coming from behind to seal a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid at the RCDE Stadium on Sunday night.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Julian Alvarez had put the visitors ahead with a stunning free-kick in the first half, but Diego Simeone’s side crumbled in the closing stages, allowing goals from Miguel Rubio and substitute Pere Milla to hand the Catalan outfit a memorable win.
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Atletico, who finished third last season and are aiming to mount a stronger title push, unveiled several new signings including Slovakia’s David Hancko, Spanish midfielder Alex Baena, Brazilian international Johnny Cardoso, and Italy’s Giacomo Raspadori. However, the revamped squad failed to deliver an opening day statement.
“We had the game in our hands but lost control in key moments. There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Simeone said.
Despite having the better chances early on, including Hancko’s header which was easily gathered by Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic, Atletico broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when Alvarez expertly bent a free-kick into the top corner leaving Dmitrovic rooted.
Alvarez nearly added a second after the break, striking the woodwork with a fierce effort. But the momentum shifted when Rubio capitalised on a set-piece to level for Espanyol in the 73rd minute.
The hosts completed the comeback just over 10 minutes later, with Omar El Hilali delivering a pinpoint cross that Milla nodded past Jan Oblak to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
On the other hand Barcelona began their title defence with a comfortable 3-0 win over Mallorca, while Madrid are set to face Osasuna on Tuesday.
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