Atlético Madrid beat Espanyol 1-0 at the RCDE Stadium in La Liga on Saturday, 17 October, with Álex Baena scoring in the 89th minute to deliver a second consecutive late away league victory. Into the Calderón described a controlled but slow contest in which Atlético had to wait until the closing moments to turn their possession of the game into a goal.

Atlético find their breakthrough after sustained control

Jonathan David, the Canadian forward who plays for Atlético, sent an early effort over the bar and later had another chance saved by Espanyol goalkeeper Ángel Fortuño. Marcos Llorente also came close after the hour, but Fortuño tipped his effort onto the top of the crossbar.

Fortuño made five saves and was named La Liga’s MVP of the match, according to Into the Calderón. He denied Julián Alvarez shortly before the Atlético forward set up the winner, while Baena had entered the game in the 62nd minute in place of Lee Kang-in.

The change brought greater urgency to Atlético’s attack. Into the Calderón noted that Baena began driving forward and taking on defenders almost immediately; Alvarez then teed him up outside the box, where the Spanish midfielder struck into the top-left corner. Alvarez’s assist was his first in the league this season, and he had three shots during his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Atlético had moved to within two points of Barcelona before the leaders played Real Betis. Barcelona later won 5-2 at La Cartuja, so that gap did not hold.

Baena adds to Atlético’s late-away pattern

The victory made it five successive league wins for Atlético, a run the source says they had last managed between October and November 2025. It also extended a developing away pattern: in their last two league trips, the Rojiblancos have found late winners rather than dropping points in matches that had remained unresolved deep into the second half.

Baena’s goal added to a productive league season. He now has seven goal contributions, with five goals and two assists, two more than his total across the whole of the previous campaign. His late introduction against Espanyol gave Atlético another player able to carry the ball into dangerous areas when their earlier control had not produced a breakthrough.

The match account pointed to the attacking options around him, including David, Giuliano Simeone and South Korean Atlético midfielder Lee Kang-in, as a source of energy and initiative. Baena and Lee were not on the pitch together: the former replaced the latter, and his direct runs helped shift the pressure onto Espanyol in the closing stages.

Simeone sees a change in Baena

Into the Calderón reported that Diego Simeone praised Baena’s progress after injuries disrupted the midfielder’s previous season, describing an improvement in his decisiveness, strength and confidence. The performance against Espanyol offered a clear match-day illustration: Baena came off the bench, registered three shots and supplied the defining moment.

For Atlético, the result was another narrow away win secured at the end of a match they had largely controlled. Their five-game league run is now established; whether Baena can keep turning late opportunities into goals will be a key part of the story as the season continues.