Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone hailed the decisive impact of his bench after second-half substitutes Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena inspired a 2-0 win against Malaga. The duo struck sensational goals after the break to secure all three points in their La Liga opener at the Metropolitano, overcoming a sluggish first-half performance on Wednesday.
Julian Alvarez was entirely left out of the Atletico Madrid squad for their opening La Liga fixture against Malaga on Wednesday. The high-profile omission comes amid intense speculation linking the Argentine with a move to Barcelona, despite Diego Simeone insisting the forward simply needs more time to train following his recent international commitments with Argentina.
Fulham forfeited their post-match penalty shootout against Malaga in the Costa del Sol Trophy after a 2-2 draw at La Rosaleda. The Premier League side cited contractual terms and urgent flight arrangements for their decision to leave the pitch without taking a single penalty, handing the Spanish outfit the trophy in front of 17,179 supporters.