Atlético Madrid beat Espanyol 1-0 through Baena's 89th-minute strike

Álex Baena scored in the 89th minute to give Atlético MadridReal MadridLaLiga · Spain a 1-0 win at Espanyol in La LigaLaLigaSpain, a result that lifts Diego Simeone's side to second in the table, two points behind BarcelonaBarcelonaLaLiga · Spain. Baena struck from the edge of the box to settle a tight game in Cornellà. It is Atlético's sixth consecutive win across all competitions.

The timing of the goal shapes the table as much as the goal itself. Barcelona, the champions under Hansi Flick, were due at third-placed Real Betis later, so Atlético's late winner cut the deficit at the top to two points while the leaders were still to play. What the gap looks like afterwards depends on Barcelona's result at Betis.

2025/26

Season 2025/26

Atlético's sixth straight win

Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

Six straight victories have kept Simeone's team in the title conversation rather than drifting behind a champion that has set the pace. That the sixth arrived in the 89th minute, from a match that had resisted a breakthrough for most of its length, is the detail that will stay with Atlético's supporters. Late goals in tight away games are how a chase stays alive.

For Espanyol, it is a home defeat in Cornellà decided by a single strike in the closing minutes. For long stretches the game looked as though it would finish level, and the points went to the side that found one moment of quality at the end.

What the result means for the title race

Stefano Vigorelli · CC BY-SA 4.0

Atlético's arithmetic is simple enough. A Barcelona win at Betis would push the gap back out to five points. A draw would leave it at three. A Betis win would keep Atlético two points off the top and pull Betis closer to the leaders at the same time.

The result in brief

• Espanyol 0-1 Atlético Madrid, La Liga
• Álex Baena scored in the 89th minute from the edge of the box
• Atlético are second, two points behind Barcelona
• The win is Atlético's sixth in a row across all competitions

What is not yet known

Neither club has commented on the match, and Simeone has not given his reaction to the late winner. No detail of the goal beyond the point from which Baena struck has been disclosed, and no lineups, injury news or attendance figures have been confirmed. Espanyol's league position after the defeat is not yet established, and the table will not settle until Barcelona's visit to Betis is complete.

Atlético's next fixture has not been set out, and how Espanyol respond to a narrow home defeat is equally open. What the win has done is keep Simeone's side within reach of Barcelona before the leaders play, and hand the chase a result that will matter if the gap at the top stays this small.