Espanyol 0-1 Atletico Madrid: Baena settles it in the 89th minute
AI-written review based on match data · How we make it
Key numbers
- 71% possession, a season high in 10 matches
- 12 corners, most in 10 matches this season
- Espanyol xG 0.61, lowest of their 8 matches
A goalless match until the closing stages
This was a late breakthrough after long spells of frustration. It stayed 0-0 until the 89th minute, when Álex Baena scored from Julián Álvarez's assist. Atletico Madrid had 19 shots on the day, yet only one of them found the net. Espanyol made the visitors work for it.
More of the ball than usual for Atletico
Atletico's 71% possession was a season high across their 10 matches so far, against an average of 58.1%. They also won 12 corners, again a high for the campaign. Espanyol set up in a 5-4-1 and the match was played largely around their box. Quality was an issue, though: xG per shot was 0.07, below Atletico's usual 0.10.
Espanyol's usual threat all but vanished
Espanyol had 29% of the ball, their lowest this season in eight matches. Their xG of 0.61 was also the lowest of those eight, and they managed only two shots on target. Ángel Fortuño made five saves to keep the scoreline level until the 89th minute. A side who have averaged 1.4 goals this season failed to score.
A late goal that turned a draw into a defeat
Baena's goal was worth +1.8 FN xPts to Atletico, while Espanyol's FN xPts fell by 1.0. Combined, that was the largest change in the match. Baena came on in the 62nd minute, played 28 minutes and scored his fifth La Liga goal of the season. It was a substitute's decisive impact that reshaped the afternoon.
FN MOM
Highest FN Score · our own pick by a published formula, not the official Player of the Match
Dávid Hancko 8.0Dominant
Over 90 minutes he made two tackles, two interceptions and two blocks, and completed 70 of 77 passes.
Hancko, the FN MOM, earned his credit at both ends of the build-up. He won five of seven duels and also had two shots. That steadiness probably helped Atletico limit Espanyol to two shots on target and keep the match goalless until Baena's 89th-minute goal.
Game state
0-1
Espanyol ahead 0 min · level 89 min · Atletico Madrid ahead 1 min
FN xPts — what each moment was worth
How much each moment changed that team's expected points (win 3, draw 1). A goal's value is credited 70% to the scorer and 30% to the assist. The value next to a team code is what the same moment did to the other side's expected points; the decisive moment is the one with the largest combined change for both teams.
89'
Álex Baena
Goal · scorer +1.3 · assist Julián Álvarez +0.5 · ESP −1.0
+1.8
Espanyol
Expected (last two seasons) 1.1Own moments 0.0Opponent moments −1.0Time effect −0.1→ League points won 0
Atletico Madrid
Expected (last two seasons) 1.6Own moments +1.8Opponent moments 0.0Time effect −0.4→ League points won 3
Expected points don't add up to a fixed total (a draw is 1 + 1), so an opponent's moment isn't simply the mirror of your loss. "Time effect" is the change as the clock runs down on a lead or a chase, and isn't credited to any player.
How FN Score and FN xPts work →
Match stats
EspanyolAtletico Madrid
0.61Expected goals (xG)1.41
Compared with usual
Espanyol
8 matches this season, all competitions baseline
| This match | Avg | |
|---|
| Goals | 0 | 1.4 | low |
| Conceded | 1 | 1.4 | |
| xG | 0.61 | 1.2 | low |
| xG against | 1.41 | 1.3 | |
| Shots | 10 | 13 | |
| On target | 2 | 3.9 | low |
| Shots faced | 19 | 12.4 | |
| xG per shot | 0.06 | 0.11 | |
| Possession | 29% | 48.5% | low |
| Passes | 269 | 389.3 | low |
| Corners | 4 | 2.1 | |
| Fouls | 10 | 16.9 | low |
Atletico Madrid
10 matches this season, all competitions baseline
| This match | Avg | |
|---|
| Goals | 1 | 2.1 | |
| Conceded | 0 | 1 | |
| xG | 1.41 | 1.7 | |
| xG against | 0.61 | 1.1 | |
| Shots | 19 | 16 | |
| On target | 6 | 6.1 | |
| Shots faced | 10 | 9.9 | |
| xG per shot | 0.07 | 0.1 | |
| Possession | 71% | 58.1% | high |
| Passes | 670 | 581.6 | |
| Corners | 12 | 5.2 | high |
| Fouls | 9 | 12.1 | |
Timeline
- 22'
Yellow
Morten Hjulmand
- 43'
Yellow
Lee Kang-In
- 45'
Sub
Ademola Lookman → Julián Álvarez
- 45'
Sub
Dani MartÃnez → Álex Grimaldo
- 55'
Sub
Pablo Barrios → Marcos Llorente
- 62'
Sub
Lee Kang-In → Álex Baena
- 64'
Sub
Vanja Drkušić → Unai Núñez
- 66'
Yellow
Cristian Romero
- 67'
Sub
Cristian Romero → Rodrigo Mendoza
- 68'
Yellow
Álex Baena
- 73'
Sub
Edu Expósito → Álex Calatrava
- 73'
Sub
Javier Hernandez → Gabriel Moscardo
- 79'
Yellow
Rodrigo Mendoza
- 81'
Yellow
Roger Hinojo
- 82'
Sub
Bryan Zaragoza → Javi Puado
- 82'
Sub
Roberto Fernández → Marcos Fernández
- 87'
Yellow
Unai Núñez
- 89'
Goal
Álex Baena league goal #5 assist Julián Álvarez
Category leaders
- Key passesLee Kang-In3
- Duels wonGiuliano Simeone7/12
- DribblesJulián Álvarez2/2
- Defensive actionsMorten Hjulmand9
- ShotsJulián Álvarez3 (on target 1)
- Fouls wonGiuliano Simeone3
#Espanyol#Atletico Madrid#La Liga#Alex Baena#David Hancko
This review was written by AI from match data (API-Football). FN Score and FN xPts are calculated by Fulltime Note using a published formula.