Atletico Madrid showcased their resilience in a back-and-forth 2-2 draw against Villarreal in their opening match of the La Liga season. Diego Simeone’s side started strong, with Reinildo Mandava’s goal being ruled offside, and Samuel Lino coming close to scoring. However, it was the home team that struck first in the 18th minute, with Arnaut Danjuma capitalizing on a long pass from goalkeeper Diego Alcoado to beat defender Axel Witsel and score from close range.
Atletico swiftly responded with a counter-attack two minutes later. Marcos Llorente, unmarked in the box, unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner to level the score. Lino hit the post in the 35th minute, but Villarreal regained the lead just two minutes later. A poor clearance by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak led to a deflected shot from the back of Atletico captain Koke, sending the ball into the net.
Alexander Sørloth, making his Atletico debut after a successful season with Villarreal, brought the game back to parity with a towering header in the first-half stoppage time. The goal came from a well-placed cross by Pablo Barrios.
The second half saw both teams play with less intensity than the first, likely due to the scorching temperatures. Although substitute Nicolas Pepe had a great chance for Villarreal from a free kick in the 82nd minute, striking the crossbar, neither side managed to find a winner. The debut of Argentina forward Julian Alvarez, who joined Atletico for over 75 million euros from Manchester City, was underwhelming as he came on as a substitute in the last 15 minutes.
Atletico will host Girona in their home debut on Sunday, while Villarreal travels to Sevilla for their second game of the season on Friday. In another La Liga opening game, newly promoted Real Valladolid celebrated their return to the Spanish top flight with a 1-0 victory over Espanyol. Raúl Moro scored the lone goal in the first half, benefiting from a deflection off the Espanyol goalkeeper. Valladolid, owned by former Brazilian striker Ronaldo, became one of only four La Liga teams to win their opening match.
