· 2 min readIn this Atletico vs Malaga match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
The first matchday of La Liga brought Málaga back to the top flight eight years later, but the opponent couldn’t have been much tougher. Atlético were clearly the favourites, although they’re still far from full strength because many of their players were involved in the World Cup final and had little time to recover. And, of course, they’re still without Julián Álvarez, who remains caught up in the saga with the club and his desire to leave for Barcelona.
The game started with practically nothing happening. Atlético defended in a 5-3-2, with Lookman and Arnau Ortiz up front, although Lookman was too central and ended up quite isolated. When Ortiz dropped back, the team switched to a 5-4-1, leaving the Nigerian alone up front. Jorge Domínguez, just 16 years old and 1.92 metres tall, started as the right-back, but when defending he moved inside as the right-sided centre-back, while Carlos Martín dropped into that position.
Atlético couldn’t create anything. After 20 minutes, neither team had even come close to a real chance. The first shot on target only came in the 35th minute, from Rodrigo Mendoza, and the first half was pretty boring for anyone watching as a neutral. Málaga did have a dangerous moment in stoppage time, forcing Oblak into two saves, but the move was eventually ruled offside.
Atlético’s problem was up front. Lookman was completely anonymous, with just 11 touches and two failed dribbles. Something had to change.
At half-time, Domínguez came off for Llorente and, shortly afterwards, Atlético finally started to accelerate. Mendoza appeared inside the box again and forced Herrero into a good save, while Kang-In Lee came on in the 57th minute and brought another level of quality to the attack. By the 59th minute, he had already tested the Málaga goalkeeper from outside the box.
And it was Lee who finally unlocked the game. In the 70th minute, he received on the right, drove inside and unleashed an absolutely unstoppable shot. His competitive debut for Atlético, 13 minutes on the pitch and his first goal. What a dream debut. 1-0.
Málaga then started to have much more difficulty dealing with Atlético. In the 74th minute, Lee appeared between the lines again and found Lookman, who forced Herrero into another great save. The improvement was obvious, although Atlético are still far from the level they want to reach.
In the 85th minute, the confirmation arrived. Baena won a free kick from distance and struck it with incredible quality. The ball even clipped the crossbar before going in. A brilliant goal to make it 2-0 and practically kill the game. He had also come off the bench, but under normal circumstances, he would be a starter.
Málaga still looked for a goal, but Atlético are strong defensively and the visitors have clear limitations in attack. And, to cap off an unhappy night, Lookman wasted another long ball in stoppage time, failing to even get a shot away.
Post-match
A deserved win for Atlético, but not a convincing one. The result came when the team finally increased the tempo, and the introductions of Lee and Baena made all the difference. For Málaga, it’s an expected defeat, but facing one of the teams expected to challenge near the top on the opening matchday was never going to be easy.
