Alejandro Baena Rodríguez's 89th-minute goal settles Espanyol 0-1 Atletico Madrid

Baena strikes in the 89th minute

Espanyol lost 0-1 to Atletico Madrid in La Liga, with Alejandro Baena Rodríguez scoring the only goal at 89' to give Atletico Madrid the win. Julián Álvarez provided the assist, and the running score became 0-1.

The late goal settled a match Atletico had largely controlled. They held 71% possession, completed 600 accurate passes from 670 total, and recorded 19 shots to Espanyol's 10. Atletico also had six shots on goal, compared with two for Espanyol, while the expected-goals figures were 1.41 for Atletico and 0.61 for Espanyol. Espanyol's goalkeeper made five saves, helping keep the score level until the closing stages.

Changes and discipline shaped the second half

Atletico made two changes at half-time, sending on Julián Álvarez for Ademola Lookman and Alejandro Grimaldo for Daniel Martinez Moreno. Marcos Llorente and Alejandro Baena Rodríguez later entered before Baena delivered the decisive moment. Atletico finished with five yellow cards, including bookings for Morten Hjulmand, Lee Kang-In, Cristian Romero, Baena and Rodrigo Mendoza. Espanyol received two, for Roger Hinojo and Unai Núñez. Neither side received a red card.

Atletico strengthen their listed position

The post-match standings list Atletico Madrid second with 22 points from 9 games, while Espanyol are 12th with 8 points from 9 games. Atletico are 14 points ahead of Espanyol and trail league leaders Barcelona by 5 points; Espanyol trail Barcelona by 19 points.

The ratings named Álex Baena the standout performer at 8.2, supported by one goal and two key passes in 28 minutes. Atletico's pre-match sequence was Win, Draw, Win, Loss, Win, Win, Win, Win, Win, while Espanyol's was Win, Loss, Loss, Draw, Win, Loss, Loss, Draw, Loss.