Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid undone by late Espanyol rally in La Liga opener

By SABC Sport
18th August 2025

Diego Simeone has encouraged Atletico Madrid to build on the encouraging signs from their display, even as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Espanyol in the opening fixture of the 2025-26 La Liga campaign.

The Rojiblancos looked in command after taking an early lead but were caught out by a set-piece header from debutant Miguel Rubio to level matters, before Pere Milla struck late to seal a comeback victory for the hosts at the RCDE Stadium.

This result ended Atletico's impressive run of unbeaten league openers under Simeone, marking their first such loss since he arrived at the club in 2011.

In his post-match assessment, Simeone said: "In a short analysis, that's my response. We lost but I hold on to the good things that appeared. We lacked effectiveness and being more important in the moments of good play during the match.

"We could have scored from Julian Alvarez's chance, but football is wonderful, the rival took advantage of the set piece."

Discussing the game's flow and his decisions on substitutions, he added: "The match was managed in the best way until that goal we talked about. It had been good and we wanted to bring in fresh players. I liked Thiago Almada, Alex Baena, Johnny Cardoso... No one wants to win more than me and we lost."

On the noticeable drop-off after those changes, Simeone noted: "I had a learning for myself; I stay with something in what we saw, you will see it."

He pointed to brighter moments in the performance: "Apart from the result, which is the most important, we had good things. But we also need to be more effective, which is necessary to compete."

Giving due praise to the opposition, Simeone has said: "We controlled well until the 60th minute until Espanyol took advantage of the set piece with a good goal. That was Espanyol's merit."

Touching on Julian Alvarez's clear annoyance at being withdrawn, the Argentine boss commented: "It is normal; we all get angry even playing with friends. Julian Alvarez was having a good match."

On X, Atletico Madrid have posted videos of Simeone's full press conference and an interview with captain Koke Resurreccion, where both reflected on the need to improve sharpness in front of goal.

Espanyol have flooded the platform with celebratory content, including highlights of Rubio's equaliser on his debut, Milla's winner, and thanks to the 29,612 fans who created a vibrant atmosphere, declaring their pride in the perico spirit.