Two spectacular goals secure Atletico Madrid's opening round win

In December, Diego Simeone will mark 15 full years as head coach of Atletico Madrid. On Wednesday, he opened the new season with a 2-0 home victory over Malaga, thanks to two wonderful goals. The visitors, who returned to the top flight after eight years, held firm for 70 minutes before ultimately falling to defeat in the opening round.

It was not simple for Atletico, who started with several youngsters and without the stars who participated in the World Cup final. Only after the entry of Alex Baena, Giuliano Simeone, and Lee Kang-in did the hosts shift gears. The South Korean signing justified the first installment of the 40 million euros paid to Paris Saint-Germain by cutting in from the right side and curling the ball beautifully into the far corner in the 70th minute. World champion Baena, who presented the World Cup to the crowd before the opening whistle, sent a tremendous free kick off the crossbar and into the net in the 85th minute to set the final score.

Spanish League Table 2026/27

Team | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Points

--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---

1. Espanyol | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-0 | 3

2. Alaves | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-0 | 3

3. Atletico Madrid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-0 | 3

4. Sevilla | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 | 3

5. Racing Santander | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-2 | 1

6. Villarreal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2-2 | 1

7. Elche | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1-1 | 1

8. Deportivo La Coruna | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1-1 | 1

9. Osasuna | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

10. Real Madrid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

11. Betis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

12. Celta Vigo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

13. Valencia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

14. Barcelona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

15. Athletic Bilbao | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

16. Real Sociedad | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0

17. Rayo Vallecano | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | 0

18. Malaga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-2 | 0

19. Levante | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-3 | 0

20. Getafe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-3 | 0

Barcelona and Real Madrid have yet to play, but the second round begins tomorrow with a meeting between Rayo Vallecano and Alaves.