Atlético Madrid’s season opener against newly-promoted Málaga started slowly, as neither team truly troubled the other from goal. Atleti found itself frustrated with Málaga’s low block and, with a neutralized attack, struggled to change gears. The game saw many of Atleti’s teenage prospects feature as the stars work to regain their fitness after the World Cup break.
The game opened up with the substitutions of Lee Kang-in and Álex Baena. Making his competitive debut, Kang-in opened the scoring in the 70th
minute after cutting inside and curling his shot into the top right corner. Baena killed the game off with an impressive free-kick that ricocheted off the bottom of the crossbar and past the goal line, securing all three points for Los Colchoneros.
Player Ratings
Oblak
Made an impressive double save to deny Málaga just before halftime, although the whole sequence was ruled offside. Oblak didn’t have to do much to maintain his clean sheet, as Málaga’s sole shot on target came in the 92nd minute. 7
Martinez
Dani Martínez made only his second competitive appearance for the first team, and he did pretty well with this new opportunity. Normally a center-back, he demonstrated an aggressive mentality and sent several crosses down the left flank. He completed four dribbles and was a headache to defend out wide. An encouraging start for the 22-year-old. 7
Hancko
Started the game with a clumsy foul on Málaga full-back Carlos Puga, earning him a yellow card. Despite that, he had a pretty solid game at the back. He was very active defensively and distributed the ball well, including on the switch of play for Kang-in’s goal. His header off a corner in the 75th minute clanged off the bar. 7.5
Le Normand
Not a bad 90 minutes for the center-back. He looked a bit shakier defending Málaga’s attack, especially in the first half, but he still banged out eight clearances and was dominant in the air. 6.5
Domínguez
Shaky on defense. His tactical foul on Joaquín in the 37th minute earned him a yellow card, and he very well could have earned a red during stoppage time in the first half. Sometimes, he looked a bit outmatched when pairing up with Màlaga’s more senior attackers. Dominguez finished with 13 completed passes and two tackles; he was hooked after halftime for Marcos Llorente. 4
Mendoza
Forced a solid save out of Alfonso Herrero in the 57th minute after Pablo Barrios picked him out in the center of the box. He was pretty active on the right-hand side, completing a couple dribbles and pressuring Málaga’s backline out of possession. He wasn’t a game-changer, but Wednesday’s win was an inspiring start to the season for him. Giuliano Simeone right before the hour. 7
Barrios
Looked unstoppable at the center of the park with the ball at his feet, and he defended solidly too. Barrios completed 51 of 58 passes, including nine in the final third. Could this set the tone for an elite 2026-27 season? 7.5
Koke
The captain was solid to begin his 18th season, making sure to involve himself in all levels of play. Koke’s box-to-box playstyle helped stabilize a relatively skittish Atleti attack, and he was physical enough to halt a couple of Málaga transitions. 7
Martín
Really high work rate, as shown by his relentless pressing that led to a free kick at the edge of the box. However, outside of that, he didn’t do much in his 57 minutes of action. Launched a pair of shots goalwards, though neither was on target. It seemed like he was bullied off the ball a decent amount; he lost seven of his eight duels. 5.5
Lookman
Strangely silent in the first 30 minutes, he struggled to sync with the rest of the attack, but he improved over the rest of the first half. He didn’t look very comfortable on the ball. Kang-in found Lookman with a piercing through ball to set him up for a one-on-one with Herrero, but his effort was somewhat tame. Could’ve played on Baena in transition for a third goal, but overhit it. The Nigeria star was visibly frustrated throughout the game and will hope to pick it up on Sunday against Villarreal. 5
Ortiz
Looked really electric at times. He had a great dribble move where he cut inside from the left-hand side and back-heeled a pass aimed toward a streaking attacker, but it was intercepted at the last second thanks to some shrewd defending. He worked very hard to win the ball back out of possession as well. Álex Baena replaced him in the 57th minute. 7
Subs
Llorente
Llorente did his best to stay involved on the right hand side, and, for the most part, he looked very collected in possession. He defended well and helped see out Atleti’s result. He did lose the ball while trying to beat Málaga’s press with a dribble, but the ensuing counter-attack came to nothing. 5.5
Giuliano Simeone
Giuliano had a relatively quieter game for Atlético than his fellow substitutes. He didn’t make any mistakes, but he wasn’t as lethal as he can be. Played intelligently and won his fair share of duels. 6
Kang-in
Kang-in made the most of his debut when he took on Málaga’s Juan Cruz, cut inside, and curled an outside-the-box shot past the keeper and into the net to score the opener. Outside of that, he did his part in tracking back, was aggressive offensively, and created chances for teammates. 8
Baena
Immediately got involved after replacing Carlos Martín in the 57th minute when he sent a long shot off target. Put in some dangerous crosses into the box and was the catalyst for some of Atleti’s most dangerous counter-attacks. Baena’s curling free kick from just outside the box went bar down, giving Herrero no chance to save it and putting the game away for Atleti. 8.5
Hjulmand
Hjulmand replaced Koke in the midfield with just 12 minutes of normal time to help seal the game off. He made a tackle, but his impact, just like his playing time today, was minimal. 5
