Atletico Madrid defeated Sevilla 3-1 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Saturday night, with Spanish midfielder Alex Baena scoring two first-half goals while playing in an improvised false nine role. The result lifted Diego Simeone's side to seven points at the top of LaLiga EA Sports alongside Alaves after three matches of the domestic season.
Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman also scored during an overwhelming first-half display from the visitors before 19-year-old winger Miguel Sierra pulled a goal back for Sevilla after the interval. The defeat was the first of the campaign for Sevilla, who had opened their league season with two consecutive victories.
First half dominance
Atletico de Madrid entered the contest in Seville without a natural center-forward because striker Alexander Sorloth was sidelined with an injury and Julian Alvarez remained out of the squad amidst ongoing transfer negotiations. Alvarez has requested to leave the Spanish club before the transfer window closes in just over 48 hours, with Atletico resisting interest from Barcelona in favor of a potential move to the English Premier League.
Simeone addressed the absence of a traditional striker by positioning Baena as a central attacker supported by Lookman and South Korean international Kang-in Lee. Sevilla created an early opportunity in the second minute when midfielder Jon Guridi delivered a dangerous cross from the left that forced goalkeeper Jan Oblak into action, before forward Robbie Ure headed wide from another left-sided delivery three minutes later.
Atletico took the lead in the fourth minute when Kang-in Lee carried the ball to the edge of the penalty area and slipped a pass through to Baena. Sevilla defender Iglesias lagged behind the back line to play Baena onside, allowing the former Villarreal player to finish low past goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodymos.
The visiting side extended their advantage in the 26th minute when midfielder Pablo Barrios played a precise pass into the penalty box for Lookman, who struck a sharp shot inside the near post. Six minutes later, Marcos Llorente picked out Baena from the right flank, and the midfielder controlled before firing a left-footed strike from outside the area into the far corner to make it 3-0.
Sevilla response and goal
Trailing by three goals at the break, home supporters at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan voiced their frustration by whistling and chanting for the resignation of the Sevilla board. Sevilla manager Quique Sanchez Flores had been seeking to secure three consecutive wins to start the league campaign, which would have represented the club's finest opening to a season since 2006-07.
Before the interval, Oblak preserved Atletico's three-goal cushion by saving two consecutive long-range attempts from Sierra and stopping a near-post strike from Guridi. Atletico thought they had scored a fourth goal four minutes into the second half when Lookman converted a pass from Baena, but the effort was disallowed for an offside position against Baena during the build-up.
Quique Sanchez Flores modified his line-up in the 55th minute by introducing Nigerian winger Chidera Ejuke for Julio Diaz and Georgian midfielder Giorgi Kochorashvili for Guridi. Ejuke made an immediate impact on the left wing, setting up Kochorashvili for a shot that cleared the target before driving forward to shoot over the crossbar himself.
Sevilla reduced the margin in the 66th minute when defender Hancko failed to fully clear a cross from the left side. Sierra collected the loose ball on the edge of the box and dispatched a left-footed half-volley under the crossbar beyond the reach of Oblak.
Late VAR penalty review
Simeone responded to Sevilla's momentum by making defensive adjustments, replacing Lookman and Llorente with Jose Maria Gimenez and Arnau Ortiz, while preparing captain Koke to reinforce the midfield. Vlachodymos kept Sevilla in the game in the 72nd minute by producing a point-blank save to deny a bouncing header from Kang-in Lee from two yards out.
Sierra was forced off in the 78th minute after suffering muscle cramps following a long-range effort, with Alfon entering as his replacement. Five minutes later, Sevilla claimed a penalty when Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand collided with Kike Salas inside the penalty area, but the referee rejected the appeal following a video assistant referee review.
Simeone introduced Johnny Cardoso and Mendoza for Hjulmand and Baena for the closing stages, where yellow cards were shown to Sevilla players Isaac Romero and Gabriel Suazo alongside Atletico defender Marc Pubill. Alejandro Grimaldo drew a late parry from Vlachodymos with a swerving free-kick before Atletico completed the victory through six minutes of stoppage time.
Post-match reaction
Following the final whistle, Baena explained that Atletico possessed several squad members capable of operating in a false nine role, including himself, Giuliano Simeone, Kang-in Lee and Lookman. Baena said the team delivered the first-half performance they required by combining effective ball retention with solid defensive work. He noted that winning the World Cup as a starter on the left wing under Spain manager Luis de la Fuente had boosted his self-belief, adding that Atletico had demonstrated their attacking depth by scoring seven goals across three matches without a recognized striker.
Sevilla defender Kike Salas, who made his 100th appearance for the club, admitted that his side failed to organize their pressing correctly in the first half against an opponent of high technical quality. Salas said the squad gave everything after the restart and regained momentum following Sierra's goal. Regarding the penalty incident, Salas stated that he felt contact from behind after touching the ball, and while he did not agree with the referee's ruling, he accepted the decision as Sevilla turned their focus to upcoming fixtures.
