Atlético Madrid suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at Athletic Club in La Liga on Saturday, with Marcos Llorente telling ESPN that the team needs Julián Álvarez to start scoring. Álvarez came on as a second-half substitute at San Mamés but couldn't turn the game around, marking his first appearance since the summer transfer window closed. The forward stayed at Atlético after the club refused to negotiate with Barcelona, his reported dream club.

"He [Julián] is a very important player for us," Llorente said. "He knows it. He'll come in little by little, and the sooner the better, because we need his goals. We have to support him so he's at 100% soon."

Atlético started the game without a recognised centre-forward, with Álex Baena and Kang-in Lee occupying their most attack-minded roles before Álvarez's introduction. Defender Dávid Hancko noted Álvarez's impact, saying he makes a difference and that the whole team supports him.

The visitors were undone in two second-half minutes, with Nico Williams and Robert Navarro scoring in the 46th and 48th minutes respectively, followed by Oihan Sancet's late third. Hancko described it as losing the game in 120 seconds, while Llorente called those five minutes the difference. Atlético now face a tough week, traveling to Anfield to play Liverpool in the Champions League before visiting Real Sociedad in La Liga.