Kang-in Lee and Baena off the bench seal Atlético's winning La Liga return

Atlético Madrid launched their 2026/27 La Liga campaign with a 2-0 victory over newly promoted Málaga at the Metropolitano on Wednesday, with second-half substitutes Kang-in Lee and Álex Baena producing the moments of quality that separated the sides.

Diego Simeone named a relatively cautious starting XI, leaving several key players on the bench and omitting Julián Álvarez from the squad entirely amid ongoing speculation over the striker’s future. The change in approach paid dividends in the 57th minute when Kang-in Lee, Álex Baena and Giuliano Simeone were introduced together, replacing Arnau Ortiz, Rodrigo Mendoza and Carlos Martín.

Kang-in Lee, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain in July for a reported £34.3m, needed just 13 minutes to justify his introduction. The South Korean cut in from the right edge of the box and drilled a precise finish past the Málaga goalkeeper in the 70th minute to break the deadlock. Baena then put the result beyond doubt five minutes from time, curling a free-kick in off the underside of the crossbar to make it 2-0.

The scoreline, however, flattered to conceal how competitive the contest had been. Málaga, missing several players through injury, were far from overawed on their return to the top flight after an eight-year absence. David Larrubia and Chupe both threatened to open the scoring before Jan Oblak denied them in quick succession, with the second effort subsequently ruled offside. Atlético’s David Hancko also struck the crossbar with a header as the hosts pressed for an earlier breakthrough.

Simeone’s rotation strategy against a newly promoted side may prove telling. Atlético’s next assignment is considerably stiffer, with Villarreal — last season’s third-placed finishers — visiting the Metropolitano on Saturday. Málaga, meanwhile, face their first home match of the season on Monday against Deportivo, one of the sides that finished above them in the second tier last term.