Liga: Atlético Madrid fall on the first day of the Liga

Very active this summer on the transfer market in an attempt to compete with FC Barcelona and Real, Atlético Madrid missed its debut in La Liga on Sunday, surprised (2-1) on the pitch of Espanyol Barcelona.

Too much in the management of the result, the Colchoneros, who had opened the scoring at the end of the first period with a superb free kick from the Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez (37th), were overturned in the second half by conceding two avoidable goals from the two Catalan substitutes Miguel Rubio (73rd) and Pere Milla (85th).

Skip the ad

Rojiblanco coach Diego Simeone had chosen to field five of his six summer signings in the starting eleven, including Spanish attacking midfielder Alex Baena, who started alongside Alvarez in place of Antoine Griezmann, former Lyon player Tiago Almada, and Slovakian defender David Hancko. But his men, too cautious to try to maintain their lead, did not deliver a performance that lived up to the Madrid club's heightened ambitions.

Julian Alvarez, however, had the chance to score a brace with his right foot on the hour mark, but the Colchoneros' superb team move, one of the only ones in the game, hit the post (57th).

Substituting at kick-off before coming on in the 68th minute, Antoine Griezmann, who decided at the end of last season to extend his contract with his beloved club until 2027, certainly had a first glimpse of his new role as a luxury joker, at 34 years old. Earlier in the day, Getafe, in financial difficulty, won away to Celta Vigo (2-0) thanks to Nigerian Christantus Uche, who scored and provided an assist.

Despite a two-goal lead at halftime, Athletic Bilbao, having managed to retain star Nico Williams, who has extended his contract with his youth club until 2035, had to fight back to beat Sevilla FC (3-2) at San Mamés. Kylian Mbappé and new coach Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid will kick off their season on Tuesday (9:00 PM) at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium against Osasuna.