August 29, (THEWILL) – Atlético Madrid drew 0-0 with newly-promoted Espanyol at the Civitas Metropolitano on Wednesday night. The result was unexpected, given Atlético’s recent 3-0 victory over Girona and Espanyol’s struggles since returning to La Liga.
The home team dominated the first half, with new signings Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth both having early chances. Alvarez’s strike was saved by Joan Garcia, while Sorloth headed wide from a Rodrigo de Paul cross. Espanyol’s best opportunity came on a counter-attack, but Javi Puado missed from close range.
The second half saw Espanyol grow in confidence, with Álvaro Aguado firing wide early on. Atlético thought they had scored through Rodrigo Riquelme, but VAR ruled it offside. Espanyol substitute Walid Cheddira tested Jan Oblak, while Riquelme missed two late chances for Atlético.
Diego Simeone will view this as two points dropped, especially considering Atlético’s strong first-half performance. For Espanyol and manager Manolo Gonzalez, the draw is a positive result, though they are still seeking their first La Liga goal of the season after three matches.
The result dampens growing optimism about Atlético’s title chances this campaign. Espanyol, meanwhile, will hope to build on this defensive display and find their scoring touch in upcoming fixtures.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
