U.S. men's national team midfielder Johnny Cardoso made his debut for Atlético Madrid, but the team conceded two late goals to lose its LaLiga season opener to Espanyol. Despite debuting most of its new signings, Atleti lost its Spanish league opening match for the first-ever time under coach Diego Simeone.

After finishing third in La Liga for the third time in four seasons, Atletico Madrid begins its latest campaign away to Espanyol on Sunday.

Pere Milla's superb header completed a late turnaround for Espanyol as they came from a goal behind to stun Atletico Madrid 2-1 in their LaLiga opener. Julian Alvarez's stunning free-kick had given Diego Simeone's side a deserved lead, but two goals in 11 second-half minutes saw Espanyol make a winning start to 2025-26.