Atletico Madrid beat Malaga but Alvarez absence is felt

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Atletico Madrid will hope for a swift resolution to the future of wantaway forward Julian Alvarez following their limp attacking display despite a 2-0 home win over promoted Malaga in their opening LaLiga fixture on Wednesday.

Midfielder ‌Lee Kang-in scored 13 minutes after coming off the bench for his debut as he cut inside from the right wing and curled his shot into the top corner of the net, before Alex Baena’s wonderful free kick ended the contest.

The goals were two moments of supreme quality in an otherwise limp attacking display that will be of concern for coach Diego Simeone amid what appears an impasse with Alvarez.

The Argentine forward has made no secret of his desire to leave the club for Barcelona, saying during the recent World Cup it would "fulfil my dream".

With Antoine Griezmann having left for Major League Soccer and ⁠Alexander Sorloth sidelined by a muscle injury, Atletico lacked a sharp edge up front, with Ademola Lookman, usually a winger, playing as a central attacker.
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