Barcelona, August 18(HS):

Espanyol pulled off a stunning late comeback to defeat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the opening round of the La Liga season on Sunday. Diego Simeone’s revamped side appeared on track for victory after a spectacular Julian Alvarez free-kick in the 37th minute put them ahead. Alvarez nearly doubled the lead just after halftime, rattling the post with a powerful strike.

However, Espanyol roared back in front of their home crowd at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat. Miguel Rubio tapped in the equalizer from a set-piece with 17 minutes left to play, sparking belief for the hosts. The stadium erupted when substitute Pere Milla connected with Omar El Hilali’s pinpoint cross, heading home the dramatic winner in the 84th minute.

Atletico, looking to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid this season, will be left rueing missed chances and defensive lapses. Their summer signings—Alex Baena, David Hancko, Johnny Cardoso, and Giacomo Raspadori—could not prevent the opening-day heartbreak.

Elsewhere, Barcelona launched their title defense in style with a 3-0 win over Mallorca, while Athletic Bilbao clinched a thrilling 3-2 victory against Sevilla after Robert Navarro’s late heroics.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar