Baena's 89th-Minute Rocket Snatches Atlético a Sixth Straight Win at Espanyol

Late Drama in Cornellà

Álex Baena struck in the 89th minute to hand Atlético Madrid a 1-0 win at Espanyol, extending Diego Simeone's side to a sixth consecutive victory across all competitions and piling the pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona.

The Rojiblancos are now second in the table, two points behind Hansi Flick's champions, who travel to face third-placed Real Betis later on Saturday. For long spells at RCDE Stadium it looked as though the visitors would be frustrated, with Espanyol goalkeeper Ángel Fortuño producing five saves to keep the game goalless.

Fortuño Frustrates Atlético

The first half produced little in the way of clear-cut chances, though Jonathan David went close to breaking the deadlock when his shot from a tight angle was pushed wide by Fortuño, while Espanyol came closest of all at the other end as Leandro Cabrera struck the crossbar.

Marcos Llorente hit the same woodwork just after the hour mark, his fierce long-range effort tipped against the top of the crossbar by Fortuño. The Espanyol goalkeeper then smothered another effort from David before denying Julián Álvarez twice, the second a brilliant fingertip save to turn behind a trivela from the Argentina international.

Espanyol handed a welcome return to captain Javi Puado after a long-term knee injury, the forward making his first appearance since January.

Baena the Difference Maker

With the clock winding down, Álvarez teed up Baena just outside the box and the substitute rifled into the top-left corner to snatch all three points. It was a case of Atlético leaving it late once again, something they have done repeatedly this season.

Expected goals underlined the visitors' superiority: Simeone's men registered 1.34 xG from 19 shots, compared with Espanyol's 0.53 from 10 attempts. Atlético did not concede a single shot on target in the first half and just two overall, while Jan Oblak still had to make a good save in stoppage time from Pol Lozano to preserve the three points.

Baena's 28-minute cameo proved decisive, the midfielder also creating two chances before netting the winner. He has now contributed to seven La Liga goals for Atlético in 2026-27 (five goals, two assists), two more than in the whole of the previous season (two goals and three assists in 27 matches). He is now just two goals away from his single-season scoring record in the competition, achieved with Villarreal in 2024-25 (seven goals).

Álvarez, meanwhile, may breathe a sigh of relief after registering his first assist in La Liga this term, though the striker is still waiting for his first goal of 2026-27 as he continues to find his form after trying to force a move away in the summer.

What's Next

The result leaves Espanyol beaten by a single late blow. Elsewhere on Sunday, fourth-placed Real Madrid host Sevilla, while Barcelona's trip to Betis later on Saturday gives Flick's side the chance to respond.