First defeat of the season. Villarreal B took all three points from Alcalá de Henares after beating Atlético Madrileño 1–3 in a match that featured two penalties and two red cards. These incidents defined a clash in which the visitors took an early lead through a goal by Gaitán (23'). The second half brought a quick succession of events that made the match an uphill battle for the Red-and-whites: Domenech was sent off (59'), followed by a penalty goal from Gaitán (65'). Another red card was shown in Alcalá—this time to Javi Gil in the 89th minute—paving the way for a third visiting goal in stoppage time, scored by Fofana (90'+5').

Fernando Torres described the match as follows: "It was a game that became difficult right from the start due to that goal, which came from an isolated action. From that point on, I think the team reacted well. We tried to get forward and had a few chances to equalise. We started the second half strongly after the break. Then everything changed; when we went down to ten men, we tried to make adjustments, and then again when we were down to nine. I’m taking away the positives from the team's reaction after that difficult spell."

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— Atleti Academia (@AtletiAcademia) September 25, 2026

“We showed character; we came close to equalising at 2–1—to getting back into the match with a key play—but ultimately, a team of Villarreal’s quality punishes you in the closing stages. Obviously, there are things to correct—plenty of them—but there were many positives, too,” Torres added, speaking to the club’s official media channels.

The coach is already looking ahead to next week, which involves preparing for an exciting derby against Real Madrid Castilla at Valdebebas: “We need to rest; we’ve had very short training weeks with matches on Sundays and Fridays. Now it’s time to rest, switch off, and recharge so we’re ready for Monday—when we return to training—to tackle a great week, just like everyone.”

- Match stats:

Atlético Madrileño: Astrálaga, Javi Gil, Yaakobishvili, Castillo (D. García 66’), Romeo (Koke Mota 76’), Thiago, A.Justo (Pablo 89’), Domenech, Edgar (Cubo 45’), Kamate (Sergio Diez 66’), Arnau Solá

Villarreal B: Kinareikin, Eneko, E.Pujol, Álvaro Garcia (Fofana 89’), Pascual (Alcaide 67’), J. Gaitan, Thiam, Albert G., Arnau, Nizar Nico Snachez 76’), Barattucci (Viveros 76’).

Bookings: Gaizka Altuna booked the locals Yaakbobischvili (27’), Javi Gil (85’) and visitors Álvaro García (45’), Eneko (67’) and E. Pujol (69’).

Bookings: Domenech (59’) y Javi Gil (89')

Goals:

0-1 Gaitan (23’).

0-2 Albert (65’) p.

1-2 D. García (78’) p.

1-3 Fofana (90’+5’)