Late heroics mask a disjointed display at the Metropolitano

Atletico Madrid left it late to snatch a draw against Villarreal in their first LaLiga home game of the 2026-27 season, with Giuliano Simeone the hero after Robin Le Normand was sent off in a frantic contest at the Metropolitano.

Atletico found themselves behind after penalties from Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze, but Simeone earned his team a point despite the Frenchman's red card, producing a smart finish into the bottom-left corner five minutes from time after being slipped in by Alex Baena.

An explosive start and a stunning free-kick breakthrough

Lee Kang-In blasted over after just 36 seconds before Alejandro Grimaldo's stinging left-footed strike forced Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior into a smart save. Villarreal had the best moment of the first half through Ayoze Perez's close-range attempt, but it was palmed away by Jan Oblak following good work from Mikautadze.

Atletico made the breakthrough in the 59th minute when Marc Pubill curled a stunning finish into the top-left corner from the edge of the penalty area, a strike that Simeone himself had assisted. But Villarreal hit back seven minutes later when Tajon Buchanan was brought down inside the box by Morten Hjulmand, with substitute Gerard Moreno stepping up to score from 12 yards.

Red card and a spot-kick swing the contest

The visitors were awarded another penalty when Le Normand fouled Darikis Mikautadze, with the Atletico defender shown a red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity. Mikautadze dusted himself down to dispatch the spot-kick beyond Jan Oblak, leaving the hosts seemingly set for defeat.

Alvarez returns to a hostile Metropolitano

Leading up to this encounter, much of the talk centred around Julian Alvarez, with the striker reported to be wanting a move away from the club. The Argentine missed Atletico's first game of the LaLiga campaign but was introduced in the 67th minute to a chorus of boos at the Metropolitano. The atmosphere threatened to boil over as the home side found themselves a goal behind, with Alvarez booed whenever he touched the ball.

It was Simeone who got the supporters back on side with his late heroics, scoring his first top-flight goal since netting against Barcelona in April while also finishing with a team-high number of touches in the opposition box (eight).

Concerns for Diego Simeone ahead

There will be plenty for head coach Diego Simeone to ponder, especially regarding the manner in which his side surrendered their goals. Villarreal have now converted all eight of their penalty attempts across the calendar year, more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues.

Yet Villarreal will feel this is one that got away. They finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 3.60 from their 13 shots, while Atletico could only conjure a tally of 0.71 from their 19 attempts, underlining the fortune behind the hosts' late rescue.