Lee Kang-In and Alex Baena both netted second-half stunners as Diego Simeone's side beat Malaga 1-0 to start their 2026-27 LaLiga campaign with a hard-fought win. 

Lee, a summer acquisition from Paris Saint-Germain, picked out the top-left corner with a stunning 70th-minute effort, but World Cup hero Baena went on better soon after. 

After being fouled on the edge of the box, Baena dusted himself down and whipped a delicious free-kick in off the crossbar to seal all three points on Wednesday. 

The crowd inside the Metropolitano had to wait until the 35th minute to see the first shot on target, with Rodrigo Mendoza seeing his attempt palmed clear by Alfonso Herrero. 

Jan Oblak, on his 400th LaLiga appearance, had to be on his toes at the other end soon after, first thwarting Chupe before getting down low at his opposite post to keep out David Larrubia, though the offside flag had been raised on the far side. 

Atletico started brightly in the second half, but it took one of Simeone's substitutes to find the breakthrough, with Lee collecting David Hancko's long ball out to the right before he cut inside three Malaga defenders and fired a sensational effort past Herrero. 

But on his first appearance for Atletico since leading Spain to glory at the World Cup, another moment of individual brilliance doubled the hosts' lead. This time, Baena bent a fine set-piece in off the woodwork five minutes from time. 

Three points at home to kick off the season pic.twitter.com/ive2DP6PyO

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 19, 2026

Brilliant Baena and lively Lee help Atletico get over the line

For large parts of their LaLiga opener, Atletico were threatened on numerous occasions by Malaga, who were playing in their first top-flight match since 2017-18, but Simeone's quality in reserve proved too much for their opponents to handle. 

In Baena, he became the first Spanish player to score from a direct free-kick for Atletico in LaLiga since Antonio Lopez against Real Zaragoza in October 2009, while the Spanish international netted his second direct free-kick goal in the competition on what was his 18th such attempt. 

But Lee also had his say. Having had his game time at PSG limited because of their star-studded front line, he showcased what he can offer Atletico, becoming the third-youngest foreign player to score for the club on their LaLiga debut in the 21st century, aged 25 years and 181 days old. 

He also finished with joint-team-high totals for chances created (three, level with Mendoza) and tackles won (three, level with Hancko), helping Atletico improve their winning run over Malaga to six matches in the top flight, while also keeping five clean sheets in the process. 

And while Malaga looked dangerous in the final third, they never really got themselves going again after falling behind. They finished with an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.15 from their five shots to Atletico's 0.82 from one more attempt.