Atletico Madrid
Malaga
Match summary
Atletico Madrid won 2-0 at home to Malaga. It was goalless at half-time.
Lee Kang-In put Atletico Madrid ahead in the 70th minute, set up by David Hancko and Álex Baena made it 2-0 with a direct free kick in the 85th minute.
The chances backed that up: Atletico Madrid created 1.37 expected goals (xG) from 15 shots to Malaga's 0.23 from 5.
Atletico Madrid secured a two-goal victory over Malaga in this La Liga fixture on matchday one after dominating the overall performance and territorial battle. The hosts registered fifteen shots compared to five from their opponents, hitting six on target while restricting Malaga to just a single effort on target. Atletico also led significantly in corners, dangerous attacks, and key passes, accumulating an expected goals total of 1.37 against Malaga's 0.23. Despite controlling possession and creating the bulk of the notable chances, the home side was forced to work hard for their win amidst a physical encounter that saw seventeen fouls committed by Atletico and eleven by Malaga.
The match remained scoreless at the interval after a first half featuring yellow cards for Dávid Hancko and Jorge Domínguez of Atletico, alongside a caution for Carlos Puga. Following a series of substitutions by both managers after the break, the deadlock was finally broken in the seventieth minute when Kang-in Lee scored with a left foot shot. Álex Baena then doubled the lead in the eighty-fifth minute with a right foot shot. Further discipline actions included a yellow card for Juan Cruz and a late booking for Ramón Enríquez, as the match concluded with Atletico taking a clean-sheet win.
