Kang-in Lee and Álex Baena fire Atlético Madrid to winning LaLiga start
Atlético Madrid began their 2026/27 LaLiga campaign in winning fashion, defeating newly promoted Málaga 2-0 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday night.
The hosts had to wait until the second half to break Málaga’s resistance, but once the breakthrough arrived, Diego Simeone’s side took control of the contest.
New signing Kang-in Lee opened the scoring in the 70th minute, marking an impressive competitive debut for Atlético with a spectacular left-footed finish. The South Korean midfielder, who has taken over the No. 7 shirt previously worn by Antoine Griezmann, immediately made an impact in front of the home supporters.
Atlético then doubled their advantage through Álex Baena, who continued his strong momentum after playing a key role in Spain’s 2026 FIFA World Cup triumph. The midfielder produced a powerful free-kick finish to put the result beyond Málaga.
The victory was particularly significant for Atlético after a disrupted pre-season caused by the World Cup. Several of Simeone’s players only recently returned to training following their involvement in Spain’s title-winning campaign, while Julián Álvarez and Cristian Romero were unavailable for the opener.
Before kick-off, Atlético also celebrated their World Cup-winning representatives, including Baena, Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill and Alejandro Grimaldo, in front of the home crowd.
With three points secured, Atlético have made an encouraging start to the new campaign, while Kang-in Lee’s debut and Baena’s contribution will provide Simeone with further optimism as the season progresses.
Final score: Atlético Madrid 2-0 Málaga — Kang-in Lee 70′, Álex Baena.
