Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Diego Simeone said that his second-half substitutions gave Atletico Madrid the “leap in quality” they needed to start their LaLiga campaign with a victory on Wednesday.
Atletico beat Malaga 2-0 at the Metropolitano, with two moments of individual brilliance from Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena sealing the win after the break.
Simeone’s team struggled to carve out any clear-cut chances in the opening 45 minutes, with Julian Alvarez, who has been linked with a move away this summer, absent.
The hosts were only able to generate an expected goals (xG) total of 0.10 from their four attempts in the first half, with Simeone making a triple change in the 57th minute.
Baena, Giuliano Simeone and Lee were all introduced, and it took the latter just 13 minutes to mark his competitive debut for Atletico with a goal when he bent a stunning left-footed effort past Alfonso Herrero and into the top-left corner.
However, Baena decided to go one better five minutes from time. After being fouled, the World Cup winner dusted himself down and whipped a sensational free-kick in off the crossbar to clinch all three points in Atletico’s opening game of the 2026-27 league campaign.
“We try to start the game with the boys who are in the best condition to compete,” Simeone told reporters. “In the first half it was running.
“We didn’t have scoring chances. In the second half the changes took a leap in quality.
“All the boys gave us the leap we needed. The two goals are two great goals and we were able to win a game that was not easy.”
What a first day in the office pic.twitter.com/MIxsGE9bRf
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 19, 2026
It was an impressive display by Lee, who, at 25 years and 181 days old, became Atletico’s third-youngest scorer on their debut for the club in LaLiga in the 21st century.
He also finished with joint-team-high totals for chances created (three, level with Rodrigo Mendoza) and tackles won (three, level with David Hancko).
Lee is no stranger to LaLiga, having turned out for Valencia and Mallorca before completing a switch to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
During his time in the French capital, Lee provided 16 goals and 16 assists in 124 appearances across all competitions, but saw his game time limited due to the array of attacking options Luis Enrique had at his disposal.
“The first games were very important. We lacked training. It was very important to get the win,” Lee said. “The whole team has done a great job.
“Thanks to the work of the first half we were able to get the victory. We continue to work hard. The rhythm is missing, but with work we will improve individually and collectively.”
And Baena, who became the first Spanish player to score from a direct free-kick for Atletico in LaLiga since Antonio Lopez against Real Zaragoza in October 2009, echoed the thoughts of his team-mate, and backed Lee to shine for his new club this season.
“The first games are always difficult. Malaga are a good team with a lot of young players and they have made things difficult for us,” Baena said.
“Thanks to the World Cup I was able to regain the confidence that I could lose in myself last season. I came out stronger and I believe in myself more.
“I know that he [Lee] is a player who is going to be very important here. The first year is difficult, but if it starts like this everything will go well.”
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