Atlético de Madrid beat Sevilla 3-1 in jornada 3 of LaLiga, with Álex Baena scoring twice and Ademola Lookman adding the third goal. The win put Diego Simeone's side into the early rhythm of the season, but it also left one conspicuous name on the sidelines: Julián Álvarez was not called up for the trip to the south of Spain.
That is why the result is being searched now. LaLiga is only beginning, so every early win carries extra weight, and this one comes as Atlético de Madrid starts to stack a difficult calendar that will soon include Champions League football and the first Madrid derby at the end of September at the Metropolitano. For supporters tracking the road ahead, the Sevilla match was not just a scoreline. It was the opening move in a run that will be judged quickly.
Baena did the heavy lifting against Sevilla. His two goals gave Atlético de Madrid control, and Lookman's finish closed the match at 3-1. It was the kind of away win that can steady a team before the schedule tightens, especially with Atlético de Madrid set to debut in the Champions League on 9 September against Liverpool at Anfield. That trip to England will come first, and it will tell a different story from a league match in Spain.
The unanswered question is why Álvarez was left out of the squad. The omission matters because it sat alongside a result that Atlético de Madrid handled without him, which makes the absence harder to read from the outside. Simeone did not need the forward to beat Sevilla, but the decision still hangs over the week because it came before a stretch that leaves little room for uncertainty.
After Anfield, Atlético de Madrid will return to the País Vasco for Real Sociedad in San Sebastián, then host Osasuna in the sixth round of LaLiga before the derby at the end of September. The immediate calendar is already fixed, and that makes the Sevilla win more than a clean start. It is the first step in a month that will reveal how far Atlético de Madrid can go while the questions around Álvarez remain open.
