Alex Baena’s brace sends Atletico Madrid past Sevilla 3-1

Atletico Madrid defeated Sevilla 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday, August 29, earning the points after leading 3-0 at half-time. Sevilla reduced the deficit in the second half, but Atletico’s early advantage proved decisive in the third round of the regular season.

Baena sets the tone

Atletico needed only four minutes to take control. Alex Baena opened the scoring with a normal goal assisted by Lee Kang-In, giving the visitors an immediate lead. Sevilla’s response did not prevent Atletico from adding a second in the 26th minute, when Ademola Lookman scored after a pass from Pablo Barrios.

Baena struck again seven minutes later, completing his brace with Marcos Llorente providing the assist. The three-goal first half left Sevilla with a difficult recovery task, while Atletico had converted its early attacking pressure into a substantial advantage.

Sevilla improve after the interval

Sevilla made two changes in the 55th minute, sending on C. Ejuke for J. Diaz and G. Kochorashvili for J. Guridi. The adjustments were followed by a response on 66 minutes, when M. Sierra pulled one goal back with R. Ure assisting. Atletico made changes of its own around that moment, replacing Lookman with A. Ortiz and Llorente with J. Gimenez, while Sevilla later introduced I. Romero for Peque.

The goal gave Sevilla a foothold, but there was no further comeback. Lee Kang-In was replaced by Koke in the 72nd minute as Atletico managed the remainder of the match. Llorente was booked in the 45th minute, while Sevilla’s I. Romero and G. Suazo and Atletico’s M. Pubill also received yellow cards late in the game.

Possession favours Atletico, shot count tells another story

Atletico controlled 60% of possession and completed 451 of 525 passes, compared with Sevilla’s 40% possession and 271 accurate passes from 339. However, Sevilla finished with more total shots, 20 to 12, and also led attempts off target 9-3. Both teams recorded five shots on goal. The figures show that Atletico’s efficiency in the opening half mattered more than overall shooting volume, with the visitors protecting a three-goal lead despite Sevilla’s greater number of attempts.

Table and form consequences

Before the match, Sevilla were fourth with six points from two wins, while Atletico were sixth with four points from one win and one draw. The result gives Atletico a win in their third league match and hands Sevilla their first defeat after two victories. Baena was the standout performer, receiving a 9.3 rating after scoring twice in 85 minutes and registering two shots on target and three key passes.