Atlético de Madrid drew 2-2 with Villarreal CF in their LaLiga EA Sports match at the Metropolitano Stadium after playing the closing stages with ten men.
Giuliano Simeone scored the equalizing goal in the 85th minute to rescue a point for the home side following a red card for defender Robin Le Normand. Marc Pubill had earlier put Atlético ahead before Villarreal turned the match around through two second-half penalties from Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze.
The fixture was marked by severe hostility from the home supporters toward striker Julián Álvarez. Fans loudly whistled the Argentina international when stadium announcers read his name before kick-off, repeated the boos when he entered as a substitute in the 67th minute, and chanted for his departure during touchline warm-ups.
Álvarez left the pitch alone at full-time without joining his teammates to applaud the crowd. Atlético management now face a decision over whether to sell the forward to Barcelona or Arsenal before the transfer window closes or attempt to rebuild his relationship with the supporters.
First half exchanges at the Metropolitano
Manager Diego Pablo Simeone made several changes to his starting lineup following a 2-0 opening victory against Málaga CF. Morten Hjulmand, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Kang-in Lee made their first starts of the season, while Álvarez started on the bench.
In their opening fixture, Atlético relied on late goals from substitutes Kang-in Lee and Álex Baena after initially fielding younger players such as Domínguez, Dani Martínez, and Arnau Ortiz. Villarreal arrived in Madrid with one point after drawing 2-2 against newly-promoted Real Racing Club de Santander at El Sardinero, where goals from Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pépé erased an early two-goal deficit caused by Andrés Martín and Sergio Martínez.
Villarreal are adapting to new manager Íñigo Pérez, who succeeded Marcelino after leading Rayo Vallecano last season. The club is undergoing a squad transformation following the departures of experienced players Dani Parejo, Thomas Partey, and Alfonso Pedraza.
Atlético created early momentum as Grimaldo forced two corners within the opening three minutes. Villarreal responded in the fifth minute when Alberto Moleiro picked out Pépé on the right wing, allowing him to bypass Grimaldo and pass to Mikautadze, whose attempt was blocked by Pubill.
Le Normand and Ayoze Pérez required on-field treatment following an aerial collision in the 14th minute. Atlético threatened through Kang-in Lee, but Giuliano Simeone shot wide and Rodrigo Mendoza hit a low effort directly at goalkeeper Luiz Júnior.
Pépé suffered an ankle injury following a tackle by Kang-in Lee in the 31st minute but remained on the field after receiving attention. Late in the first half, Ayoze combined with Mikautadze before seeing his shot deflected behind, ending a half in which Atlético registered 13 successful tackles out of 18 attempts, their highest first-half total in LaLiga since January 2019 against Levante.
Pubill opens scoring before penalty turnaround
Simeone introduced Baena for Mendoza at the start of the second half. Baena was facing his former club, having joined the Villarreal youth system from CD Roquetas in 2011 before making his senior debut in 2020, spending time on loan at Girona, and completing a transfer to Atlético in 2025.
Jan Oblak prevented Villarreal from taking the lead in the 50th minute by tipping a Pépé strike around the post. Santiago Mouriño subsequently received a yellow card for a heavy challenge on Baena.
Atlético broke the deadlock in the 58th minute through Pubill. The central defender pushed up into the attacking third, exchanged a wall pass with Giuliano Simeone, and curled a right-footed shot into the top far corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Pérez responded by making a double substitution, sending on Tajon Buchanan and Gerard Moreno for Moleiro and Ayoze. Buchanan made an immediate impact, drawing a penalty three minutes later when Hjulmand tripped him from behind inside the box. Gerard Moreno converted the spot-kick in the 65th minute, placing his shot to the right as Oblak remained static.
Simeone responded with a triple change in the 67th minute, bringing on Marcos Llorente, Pablo Barrios, and Álvarez for Koke, Pubill, and Kang-in Lee. Following a cooling break held under 32°C heat, Mikautadze broke clear on a counter-attack, forcing a save from Oblak.
Referee Alejandro José Hernández Hernández was called to the VAR monitor to review an earlier push by Le Normand on Mikautadze. Hernández Hernández awarded a penalty and issued a red card to Le Normand. Mikautadze converted the penalty in the 78th minute to put Villarreal 2-1 ahead.
Late equalizer and post-match reactions
Simeone reorganized his defense by sending on José María Giménez for Ademola Lookman. Villarreal made their final change in the 84th minute as Oluwaseyi replaced Santi Comesaña.
Atlético drew level in the 85th minute when Baena carried the ball forward and released Giuliano Simeone, who directed an angled shot past Luiz Júnior. Oblak made another critical save to stop Buchanan in the 88th minute, while Giménez was booked in nine minutes of injury time for stopping a counter-attack after an Álvarez shot was blocked.
Speaking after the match, Oblak criticized the decision to award the second penalty, stating that if such pushes were penalized, there would be 300 penalties given by the end of the season. The Slovenian goalkeeper commended his team for fighting back with ten men and offered support to Álvarez, stating that the squad stands behind the forward and hopes for a positive resolution.
Gerard Moreno expressed frustration with the result, stating that Villarreal should have defended with greater intensity after taking the lead. Manager Íñigo Pérez remarked that while two points from two matches was disappointing, he was pleased with his squad's progress and tactical development.
