Atletico Madrid stunned by Espanyol in La Liga opener

Atletico Madrid made the worst possible start to the 2025/26 La Liga season after suffering a 2-1 defeat versus Espanyol.All eyes were on Los

Rojiblancos on the back of an outstanding costs spree, but those expectations were stopped in their league opener last night.Atletico broke the deadlock in the 37th minute following

an impressive free kick from Julian Alvarez, who picked up from where he left last season.The visitors controlled the game for long spells and could have doubled the lead following a quick interaction before Alvarez’s final shot hit the woodwork.While Atletico hoped that three points were a simple procedure, the hosts turned the game on its head in the final quarter.Miguel Rubio slipped behind Atletico’s defence to score a header off a totally free kick to equalise.Pere Milla rapidly netted another elegant header off Omar El Hilali’s cross to complete a stunning return victory.Espanyol deserved to claim the victory after soaking up the pressure for much of the game with their tight defending.Atletico have actually stumbled in their quest to challenge for the league title with a revamped squad, having stopped working to win a major flatware since 2021. Manager Diego Simeone accepted the blame for the defeat and specified it was an early wake-up

call to recover more powerful this season.New signings Johnny Cardoso, Matteo Ruggeri and Thiago Almada looked strong on their league launching and will be intending to make a substantial impact in future.Except for Alvarez, Atletico’s attack was rather underwhelming, and Simeone will be seeking to fix it ahead of their next game against

Elche.