LaLiga: Espanyol Beats Atletico Madrid 2-1

Espanyol stuns Atletico Madrid 2-1

Espanyol pulls off a stunning 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in LaLiga. Read match highlights, stats, and expert analysis.

Espanyol pulled off a stunning upset against Atletico Madrid, coming from behind to win 2-1 at the RCDE Stadium on the opening weekend of the LaLiga season. This victory marked the end of an eight-match winless head-to-head run for Espanyol. Atletico Madrid had taken the lead with a goal from Julian Alvarez in the 36th minute, but Espanyol fought back with a penalty converted by Javi Puado in the 71st minute. The winning goal was scored by Jose Salinas in the 86th minute, securing a dramatic win for Espanyol.

The match saw several intense moments, with both teams creating scoring opportunities. Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann was caught offside twice in the first half, while Espanyol's Roberto Fernandez had a shot saved by the Atletico goalkeeper. The game was marked by fouls, with Johnny Cardoso of Atletico Madrid receiving a yellow card in the 12th minute, and Alejo Veliz of Espanyol getting booked in the 73rd minute.

David Hancko nearly scored on his LaLiga debut with a powerful header from a corner kick, but his effort was straight at Espanyol goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic, who managed to make the save.

At the other end, Jan Oblak made two crucial saves to keep a clean sheet for Atletico Madrid. He first stopped a deflected strike from Roberto Fernández and then denied Leandro Cabrera with a header, stretching to prevent it from reaching the top corner.

Julian Alvarez was keen to get off the mark, attempting a couple of long-range shots that Marko Dmitrovic comfortably saved. However, Alvarez broke the deadlock in the 37th minute with a stunning free-kick, curling the ball over the wall and into the top left corner, leaving Dmitrovic with no chance.

FT: #EspanyolAtleti 2-1 @RCDEspanyol_EN : The Comeback. #LALIGAEASPORTS pic.twitter.com/q62HsrAkhF

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) August 17, 2025

Javi Puado's impressive performance last season, scoring 12 goals, was instrumental in Espanyol's survival in La Liga. In the recent match against Atletico Madrid, Puado had a notable chance to score his first goal of the campaign, but Jan Oblak's exceptional saves denied him, particularly keeping out powerful headers.

Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez had scored five more goals than Puado last season. In the match, Alvarez nearly doubled Atletico's lead just before the hour mark when Alex Baena's precise pass put him through on goal. Unfortunately for Alvarez and Atletico, his shot hit the post and bounced clear, leaving Espanyol with a chance to capitalize.

Pere Milla's miss could have been costly, considering Espanyol's previous four league goals all came after the 60-minute mark. However, the team persisted and began to gain momentum around the 73-minute mark. A Tyrhys Dolan free-kick created chaos in the Atletico box, and Edu Expósito's pass to Miguel Rubio resulted in the equalizer, with Rubio forcing the ball home.

In the final stages of the game, Pere Milla initially thought he'd missed an opportunity to seal the win when he headed the ball over from a great position. But just two minutes later, he made amends, meeting Omar El Hilali's cross and heading the ball past Jan Oblak to secure a 2-1 win for Espanyol. This victory marked Espanyol's first LaLiga opening-day win in eight attempts and Diego Simeone's first opening-day defeat as Atletico Madrid's manager.