Cuti Romero makes Atletico Madrid debut in 3-0 defeat to Athletic Club at San Mames

Making your debut down two goals is not the script anyone dreams of, but soccer tends to ignore scripts. That was the case for Cristian "Cuti" Romero, who finally wore the Atletico Madrid jersey for the first time at San Mames, though the scoreboard was already far from smiling on him.

The Argentine defender started on the bench, and Diego Simeone brought him on in the 58th minute, alongside Julian Alvarez, with the team already down 2-0 to Athletic Club. It was, essentially, an emergency substitution: Atletico had the ball, moving patiently around the field, but lacked that final spark to truly threaten the opposing goal. Athletic, meanwhile, had been surgical up front and made no mistakes.

From the moment he stepped onto the field, Cuti showed why Simeone trusts him so much. He offered himself fearlessly to help build play from the back, looked for passes between the lines, and tried to give the team another way to move the ball when it needed different options. That reading of the game, that personality to demand the ball even with the score against him, is exactly what could end up making him a key piece for Atletico.

The problem was that the match was already an uphill climb. Atletico tried, pushed forward, looked for a way back into it, but found no cracks in the Basque defense. And to make matters worse, the toughest blow for the debutant came late: in the 89th minute, Romero was caught out of position on the play that ended in Athletic Club's third goal, scored by Oihan Sancet, sealing a resounding 3-0.

The numbers leave no doubt about the home side's efficiency: Athletic converted three of the four clear chances it created all night at San Mames. When a team scores almost everything it shoots at goal, there is little room for the opponent, no matter how much possession they hold.

Immediate rematch in the Champions League

The good news for Romero is that soccer does not leave much time to dwell on setbacks. The schedule puts a chance to turn the page right in front of him, almost immediately: this Wednesday, Atletico Madrid visits Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League.

It is hard to imagine a tougher test to start out with. After these first minutes against Athletic Club, the Argentine defender will have the chance to show his best form on one of the most demanding stages in Europe, against an opponent that does not forgive mistakes like the one that cost him dearly on his debut. It remains to be seen whether Simeone starts him from the opening whistle or repeats the formula of bringing him on from the bench.