Atletico Madrid 2-0 Malaga: Bench brilliance rescues opening-night win at the Metropolitano

Atletico Madrid kicked off their 2026-27 LaLiga season with a 2-0 victory over Malaga at the Metropolitano on Wednesday, but it took a triple substitution and two moments of individual magic to break the deadlock after a lifeless opening 45 minutes.

Diego Simeone's side struggled to carve out any clear-cut chances before the break, with the hosts generating an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.10 from four first-half attempts. The absent Julian Alvarez, who has been linked with a move away this summer, was not part of the matchday plans.

The turning point came in the 57th minute, when Simeone turned to his bench. Alex Baena, Giuliano Simeone and Lee Kang-in were all introduced, and the change transformed the contest.

Lee Kang-in needed just 13 minutes to mark his competitive debut for Atletico, bending a stunning left-footed effort past Alfonso Herrero and into the top-left corner. Baena then went one better five minutes from time, dusting himself down after being fouled to whip a sensational free-kick in off the crossbar and clinch all three points.

'A leap in quality'

"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."

Lee's dream debut

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."

Baena's confidence boost

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."