​Atletico Madrid’s Argentine coach Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid’s Argentine forward #19 Julian Alvarez (R) and teammates are pictured during a hydration break during the Spanish league football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Villarreal CF at Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on August 23, 2026. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images On a scorching afternoon in Madrid, Atlético de Madrid finally got their first weekend home kickoff of the season, with over 60,000 fans packed into the Metropolitano to welcome the Rojiblancos and properly usher in the new campaign against fellow Champions League side Villarreal.Two penalties, a red card, and a very complicated homecoming later, Atleti walked away with a point they were truthfully fortunate to get.Let’s dive into the takeaways!Slow start once moreBetween the heat and a lineup still finding its feet, this always had the makings of a sluggish start. Several of these players are only just back from a shortened summer, still getting reacquainted, and it showed. For the opening hour, Atleti dominated the shooting charts on paper, outshooting Villarreal 11 to 6. But only two efforts were on target, and the underlying picture told a very different story. Villarreal had 23 touches in Atleti’s box to Atleti’s 19 in theirs. The visitors also created three big chances in the first half alone, while Atleti created zero. They even out-passed Atleti, 271 to 217. The Rojiblancos were a team going through the motions of control without really controlling anything.Alejandro Grimaldo’s long-awaited debut arrived in the midst of it. Going forward, he looked every bit the player Atleti signed, with dangerous crosses, an exquisite early strike, and real quality getting forward down the left. Defensively though, Nicolás Pépé gave him a tough time, and he never quite looked settled. Given this is a player with barely a preseason behind him after his World Cup run, that is forgivable for now. The same goes for Marc Pubill, deployed at right centre-back in a defensive three that had never played together before. There were excellent moments, like a crucial block to deny Georges Mikautadze what looked like a certain goal, but also stretches where you could tell this was not his sharpest version.In contrast, Morten Hjulmand looked like one of Atleti’s best players for the majority of the afternoon, right up until his moment later on. A first start in midfield and he was excellent in it, with just one misplaced pass all game, the most chances created of anyone on the pitch, and the second-most passes into the final third, all while filling in admirably for a rested Pablo Barrios. Lee Kang-in also got his first start, and while the energy was there, the end product was not quite: six shots in total, nearly all of them from distance without really threatening the way he did coming off the bench against Málaga. It’s worth remembering he is still working back to fu