By OkayGoal
Substitutes Kang-in Lee and Alex Baena’s spectacular goals gave Atletico Madrid a late win at home to stubborn Malaga in their opening match of the Liga season at the Metropolitano.
Home manager Diego Simeone kept many of his star names on the bench initially and did not name Julian Alvarez in his squad amid speculation over the striker’s future.
Kang-in Lee, that is SPECIAL! 😍
What a way for the Korean international to announce himself in LALIGA on his Atletico Madrid debut 🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/biXep3j1Hr
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) August 19, 2026
New signing Lee cut along the edge of the box and unleashed a sublime strike to put Atleti ahead in the 70th minute, followed by another astounding finish when World Cup 2026 winner Baena curled in a free-kick five minutes from time via the underside of the crossbar.
Promoted last season, Malaga were missing a string of players through injury and threatened to go ahead when David Larrubia and Chupe were denied in quick succession by goalkeeper Jan Oblak, although the attack was then ruled offside.
Alex Baena with a textbook free kick! 🎯
That is absolutely PERFECT from the Atletico Madrid man 🙌 pic.twitter.com/VhYGDQEZS5
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) August 19, 2026
Atleti vs Malaga: Simeone substitutes shine
Simeone sent on his scorers and son Giuliano Simeone for Arnau Ortiz, Rodrigo Mendoza and Carlos Martin in the 57th minute, the trio of changes soon paying dividends for a youthful team.
Lee, who arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in July for a reported fee of around £34.3m, announced himself to the home fans in game-changing, net-busting fashion and Atleti were unfortunate not to make the scoreline 2-0 earlier, David Hancko hitting the crossbar with a header.
As Atleti attempt to improve upon a fourth-placed finish last season, Simeone’s selection decisions may have reflected a belief that the visit of last season’s third-placed finishers, Villarreal, will prove tougher on Saturday (16:00 BST).
Malaga play their first home game of the season on Monday (20:30), facing one of the teams to have finished above them in the second tier in 2025/26, Deportivo.
Atletico Madrid team vs Malaga
Atletico Madrid starting XI: Jan Oblak, Jorge Dominguez, Robin Le Normand, David Hancko, Dani Martinez, Carlos Martin, Rodrigo Mendoza, Koke, Pablo Barrios, Arnau Ortiz, Ademola Lookman
Atleti substitutes: Juan Musso, Jose Maria Gimenez, Johnny Cardoso, Lee Kang-In, Alex Baena, Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Giuliano Simeone, Alejandro Grimaldo, Morten Hjulmand, Cubo, Jorge Castillo
Malaga team vs Atletico Madrid
Malaga starting XI: Alfonso Herrero, Carlos Puga, Angel Recio, Einar Galilea, Rafita, David Larrubia, Carlos Dotor, Izan Merino, Dani Lorenzo, Joaquin Munoz, Chupe
Malaga substitutes: Alex Pastor, Ramon Enriquez, Haitam Abaida, Jose Salinas, Carlos Lopez, Rafa Rodriguez, Eneko Jauregi, Juan Cruz, Julen Lobete, Joseph Otu, Juani