Atlético Madrid defeat Sevilla 3-1 to take provisional La Liga lead

First-half dominance in Seville

Atlético Madrid established control early during their visit to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Saturday, securing a 3-1 victory over Sevilla on matchday 3 of La Liga. Spanish midfielder Álex Baena opened the scoring in the fourth minute, running onto a through-ball delivered by Lee Kang-in to beat goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos. The visitors doubled their advantage in the 26th minute when Pablo Barrios found Ademola Lookman inside the penalty area, allowing the Nigerian forward to slot his finish between the legs of a defender. Seven minutes later, Marcos Llorente provided the pass for Baena to shoot from outside the penalty area into the net. The 33rd-minute strike marked Baena's second goal of the evening and his third of the campaign, moving his tally beyond his total from the 2025–2026 season.

Second-half response and defensive control

Sevilla attempted to alter the flow of the match after the interval, creating chances following the second-half introduction of Giorgi Kochorashvili for his club debut. The home side broke through in the 66th minute when winger Miguel Sierra reacted to a loose ball inside the penalty area and dispatched a left-footed half-volley past Jan Oblak. The goal was Sierra's first at the professional level and narrowed the deficit to two goals. Atlético Madrid managed the remaining half hour by slowing the tempo and limiting additional shots on target. Diego Simeone's defensive structure, anchored by Jan Oblak and left-back Alejandro Grimaldo alongside midfielder Morten Hjulmand, prevented Sevilla from mounting further scoring opportunities before the final whistle.

Squad adjustments and transfer dispute

Diego Simeone fielded a lineup featuring several summer arrivals and regular starters, granting starting roles to Morten Hjulmand, Lee Kang-in, and Alejandro Grimaldo. The matchday squad again omitted Argentine forward Julián Álvarez, who was not called up for the trip to Andalusia. Álvarez did not participate in collective training sessions earlier in the week while attempting to force a departure from the Madrid club. Club directors categorically refused to open negotiations regarding a potential transfer to FC Barcelona. Despite the absence of the frontline attacker, Atlético generated three first-half goals through Baena and Lookman to decide the fixture.

Standings and additional league action

The victory in Andalusia lifted Atlético Madrid to seven points from three matches, placing them in a provisional tie atop the league table alongside Alavés and ahead of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Diego Simeone's squad had entered the fixture following a 2-2 home draw against Villarreal on matchday 2. Sevilla remained on six points in fifth place, enduring their first defeat of the season after recording two consecutive wins in their opening fixtures. Elsewhere in La Liga on Saturday, Real Sociedad collected their first victory of the campaign by defeating Espanyol 2-1 in San Sebastián. Mikel Oyarzabal provided assists for Ander Barrenetxea in the fourth minute and Orri Óskarsson in the 61st minute, while Roberto Fernández Jaén scored for Espanyol at the end of the first half and Gonçalo Guedes entered as a late substitute in the 78th minute.