Diego Simeone didn’t have his first-choice front line available for Atletico Madrid’s La Liga opener, and for most of Wednesday’s match against promoted Malaga, it showed. What ultimately separated the two teams wasn’t anything from the starting eleven. It was a double substitution that turned a stalemate into a 2-0 win.
Julian Alvarez, the Argentine forward who had pushed for a move to Barcelona over the summer, wasn’t involved at all, still working his way back to fitness after a post-World Cup break shared by several other first-teamers. In their absence, Simeone fielded a side loaded with youth, and Malaga, three years removed from Spain’s third tier after their own relegation and climb back, made the most of the opportunity, holding firm through a goalless first half.
The turning point came just before the hour mark, when Simeone brought on Kang-In Lee, Alex Baena, and his son Giuliano together. It didn’t take long for the change to pay off. In the 70th minute, Lee picked up the ball on the right, cut inside along the edge of the box, and curled a finish into the far corner, his first involvement at the Metropolitano turning into his first goal. The South Korean, signed from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, now wears the number seven shirt left behind by Atletico great Antoine Griezmann following his move to Orlando City, and Wednesday’s finish was about as strong a start to that number as he could have asked for.
Atletico pushed for a second, with Ademola Lookman and David Hancko both going close before the breakthrough finally arrived. Alex Baena settled it in the 85th minute with a spectacular free-kick that bent in off the crossbar, sealing the win and rewarding Simeone’s decision to turn to his bench when the starting lineup couldn’t find a way through.
The result gives Atletico, who finished fourth last season and haven’t won La Liga since 2021, a clean start to the campaign. They’ll face a sterner early test on Sunday, hosting Villarreal, the side that finished just ahead of them in third last season. Spain’s other two heavyweights begin their own campaigns this weekend, with Real Madrid traveling to Espanyol on Saturday and Barcelona opening at Elche on Sunday.
