Anatomy of a Goal: Álex Baena’s winner at Espanyol

Atlético de Madrid won its sixth match in a row on Saturday after Álex Baena’s 89th-minute strike delivered a 1-0 victory at Espanyol. Baena, part of a string of second-half substitutes, bent in the winning goal from Julián Alvarez’s assist as Atlético held on to second place in LaLiga after nine rounds.

Baena’s goal, his fifth of the season, helped Atleti to a win at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium for the first time since September 2021, when Thomas Lemar scored an even-later goal for a 2-1 victory.

Let’s break down the goal that saw Atleti secure a rare win at Espanyol and improve to 7-1-1 in LaLiga. The sequence that ends in Baena’s goal actually starts almost a full minute before he scores — and it was nearly a disaster for Atleti.