Sørloth debut goal not enough for Atleti
Alexander Sørloth made a dream debut for Atletico Madrid, nodding home a first half goal to earn Los Colchoneros a share of the spoils with a 2-2 draw at Villarreal.
Forward Arnaut Danjuma gave the host an 18th-minute lead but Atletico hit back within two minutes as Marcos Llorente capped a lightning counterattack.
Diego Simeone's team fell behind for the second time when Jan Oblak failed to claim a deep cross in the 37th minute, with the ball deflecting off the back of captain Koke and into the net.
But Sorloth, making his Atleti debut after an outstanding 2023-2024 season with Villarreal, came back to haunt the Yellow Submarine with a second equaliser.
Sorloth, who finished one goal shy of LaLiga's Golden Boot winner Artem Dovbyk last season, scored with a towering header six minutes into first-half stoppage time, with a quieter second half passing without further incident.
Despite a trip to his former club representing a tricky first Atleti outing for Sorloth, he picked up where he left off in a brilliant 2023-2024 campaign.
His goal was his 18th in LaLiga in 2024, more than any other player has scored in one of Europe's top five leagues, with Jonathan David and Harry Kane in joint-second with 15 apiece.
Atleti's attack will be further boosted when former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez gets up to speed.
He was limited to a 17-minute substitute appearance, only completing two passes and committing two fouls in a quiet outing.
