Atletico Madrid beat Espanyol 1-0 in LaLiga at the RCDE Stadium, with Alex Baena scoring in the 89th minute from a Julian Alvarez assist. The result secured a sixth successive victory for Atletico Madrid and gave them a first win in four away head-to-heads.
Winning goal
Alvarez, who came on at the start of the second half, cut inside from the left and picked out Baena outside the box, and Baena took a touch before placing his shot in the left corner.
Changes and match data
Flashscore said Simeone made a double change ahead of the restart, with Ademola Lookman one of the players replaced. Flashscore named Cristian Romero as its Man of the Match.
TEAMtalk said Alvarez took three shots, with one on target, played one key pass, had a pass accuracy of 89.7%, attempted two dribbles, and put in one cross during his time on the pitch.
Spanish media assessments of Alvarez
TEAMtalk said Marca gave Alvarez 6 out of 10 in its player ratings and noted: "He came on after halftime for Lookman, looking for his first goal of the season. His first shot came in the 75th minute, a long-range effort saved by the home goalkeeper. He had a great chance at the end but couldn’t convert, just like in stoppage time."
TEAMtalk also quoted Mundo Deportivo on Alvarez's performance: "He dropped deep to help in the build-up play, using Jonathan David as his main target. He combined well with his teammates and nearly scored in stoppage time with a good shot from outside the box."
Result for Espanyol
Espanyol suffered a third defeat in four games.