Atlético de Madrid draw with Elche in their LaLiga debut at the Metropolitano
Atlético Madrid was held to a 1-1 draw by Elche in their first home match of the 2025/26 LaLiga season. Alexander Sørloth opened the scoring early, but Rafa Mir equalized just one minute later, and Diego Simeone’s side failed to find a breakthrough despite dominating possession.
Early goals define the match
The game started at a frantic pace. After just 14 minutes, Sørloth latched onto a Hancko assist to beat goalkeeper Dituro and put Atlético ahead. However, the lead lasted barely a minute. Elche responded immediately with a swift counterattack: Valera’s long ball found Álvaro, who set up Rafa Mir to level the score.
Simeone’s frustration
Atlético pushed forward with long balls behind the defense, but their attacking combinations lacked precision. Barrios and Almada tried to inject speed, while Llorente and Giuliano struggled to make an impact on the right wing. Simeone made changes in the final 15 minutes, bringing on Nahuel Molina and Javi Galán, but the rojiblancos could not break Elche’s compact defense.
Elche’s resilience
Elche, freshly back in LaLiga, defended deep and exploited Atlético’s mistakes in transition. Goalkeeper Dituro played a key role by advancing off his line to disrupt Atlético’s pressing game, while Febas, Mendoza and academy product Valera impressed in midfield battles.
Concerns at the Metropolitano
The result leaves Atlético with back-to-back stumbles at the start of the new season, raising early concerns for Simeone, who described this squad as “the best in the club’s history.” Despite dominating much of the match, Atlético’s lack of cutting edge highlighted issues that will need to be resolved quickly if they are to challenge for the title.
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