Espanyol ended an eight-match winless streak against Atlético Madrid with a dramatic 2-1 victory on the opening weekend of the LaLiga season. The hosts overcame a one-goal deficit with two late strikes, stunning the visiting side at the RCDE Stadium.
The match began with a competitive pace, featuring new signings on both sides. Visiting centre-back David Hancko nearly scored on his debut, forcing a save from new Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic. At the other end, Atlético’s stalwart keeper Jan Oblak was put to the test, denying a deflected shot from Roberto Fernández and a header from Leandro Cabrera.
Despite Espanyol’s early efforts, it was Atlético’s Julian Alvarez who broke the deadlock with a moment of individual brilliance in the 37th minute. The Argentine curled a perfectly placed free-kick over the wall and into the top left corner, leaving Dmitrovic with no chance. The goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
The second half saw more of the same, with Javi Puado’s headers twice denied by superb saves from Oblak. Alvarez came close to doubling the lead just before the hour mark when a pass from Alex Baena put him through, but his shot agonizingly hit the post. This miss proved to be a crucial turning point.
In a repeat of their late-game heroics from last season, Espanyol found their rhythm after the 60-minute mark. In the 73rd minute, a free-kick from Tyrhys Dolan caused chaos in the Atlético box, and Miguel Rubio capitalized on the confusion to force home the equalizer.
With momentum on their side, Espanyol pushed for a winner. Pere Milla headed a chance over the bar from a promising position, but he quickly redeemed himself. Just two minutes later, Milla met a cross from Omar El Hilali and directed his header past the reach of Oblak, sealing the 2-1 victory.
The win marks Espanyol’s first opening-day victory in eight attempts and the first opening-day defeat for Diego Simeone as Atlético manager.
