Madrid, Aug 20 (V7N)- Atletico Madrid began their La Liga campaign with a 2-0 victory over newly promoted Malaga at home on Wednesday night.
Diego Simeone made several changes to his starting lineup, with a number of players who featured in the World Cup final left out of the starting XI. Atletico struggled to create clear chances in the opening half, while Malaga looked more dangerous and produced several opportunities before the break.
The match changed after Simeone introduced Alex Baena, Marcos Llorente, Lee Kang-in and Giuliano Simeone in the second half. The substitutions helped Atletico take control of the game.
Lee Kang-in broke the deadlock in the 70th minute with a superb strike on his competitive debut for Atletico. Baena then doubled the advantage in the 85th minute with a stunning free-kick to secure all three points.
Julián Alvarez, whose future has been the subject of transfer speculation, was not included in the squad. The Argentine forward is still working toward full fitness following the post-World Cup break.
The victory gives Simeone’s side a winning start to the 2026-27 La Liga season, although their first-half performance showed that the team still has work to do as its World Cup players return to full fitness.
END/SMA/AJ
