Atletico Madrid secured a sixth successive victory as Alex Baena scored late to secure a 1-0 win at Espanyol, a result which gives Atleti a first win in four away head-to-heads.
2026/2027 La Liga
0-1
Match Report
Espanyol goalkeeper Angel Fortuno frustrated Atleti for large parts of the clash, making five saves, but Baena found a late breakthrough to secure a sixth consecutive win in all competitions and fifth straight in LaLiga.
The first half did not produce much action, but Jonathan David went close to breaking the deadlock when his shot from a tight angle was pushed wide by Fortuno.
Marcos Llorente saw a fierce effort tipped against the top of the crossbar by Fortuno just after the hour mark, and the Espanyol goalkeeper was very busy in the closing stages.
He smothered another chance from David before denying Julian Alvarez twice, with the second a brilliant fingertip save to turn behind a trivela from the Argentina international.
However, with the clock winding down, Alvarez teed up Baena just outside the box, and the latter rifled into the top-left corner to snatch all three points in the 89th minute.
Baena enjoying strong start to 2026-27
Diego Simeone will feel his side deserved what they got at RCDE Stadium, with Atleti producing 1.34 expected goals (xG) from 19 shots to Espanyol's 0.53 from 10 attempts.
In the end, Baena's 28-minute cameo proved to be the difference, with the midfielder also creating two chances before netting the winner.
Baena has contributed to seven LaLiga goals for Atleti in 2026-27 (five goals, two assists), two more than in the entire previous season (two goals and three assists in 27 matches).
He is now just two goals away from his single-season scoring record in the competition, achieved with Villarreal in 2024-25 (seven goals).
Atleti's defence also played a key role while their attackers looked for a breakthrough; they did not concede a single shot on target in the first half, and just two overall.
Alvarez may also breathe a sigh of relief after registering his first assist in LaLiga this term, but the striker is still waiting for his first goal of 2026-27.
Line-ups
Espanyol XI: Cabrera, Pol Lozano, Exposito, Vanja Drkusic, Ángel Fortuño, Bryan Zaragoza, Omar El Hilali, Roberto Fernández, Clemens Riedel, Javi Hernández, Roger Hinojo
Subs: Dmitrovic, Pere Milla, Gorosabel, Núñez, Puado, Tyrhys Dolan, Álex Calatrava, Urko González de Zárate, Marcos Fernández, Quilindschy Hartman, Gabriel Moscardo, Rafel Bauzà
Atletico XI: Oblak, Dávid Hancko, Lookman, Cristian Romero, Kang-in Lee, Jonathan David, Morten Hjulmand, Marc Pubill, Giuliano Simeone, Barrios, Dani Martinez
Subs: Grimaldo, Sørloth, Musso, Llorente, Le Normand, Álex Baena, Alvarez, Arnau Ortiz, Rodrigo Mendoza, Obed Vargas, Jorge Castillo, Jorge Domínguez