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!
Between 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.

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