Athletic and Celta played without complexes, uninhibited, in the clash at San Mamés. The Galicians arrived from Vigo with a large following in the stands and the ambition to improve the results of recent seasons in which the Celta team played great games, but lost.
3
Julen Agirrezabala (Álex Padilla, min. 45), Aitor Paredes, Óscar De Marcos, Adama Boiro (Íñigo Lekue, min. 64), Dani Vivian, Oihan Sancet, Beñat Prados, Alex Berenguer (Unai Gómez, min. 74), Mikel Jauregizar (Íñigo Ruíz de Galarreta, min. 64), Iñaki Williams Arthuer and Gorka Guruzeta (Álvaro Djaló, min. 76)
1
Vicente Guaita, Jailson (Carlos Domínguez, min. 62), Javi Rodríguez, Carl Starfelt, Hugo Álvarez (Williot Swedberg, min. 66), Óscar Mingueza (Marcos Alonso, min. 4), Damián Rodríguez, Hugo Sotelo (Ilaix Moriba, min. 62), Iago Aspas, Jonathan Bamba and Tasos Douvikas (Borja Iglesias, min. 67)
Goals
1-0 min. 3: Guruzeta. 1-1 min. 24: Blades. 2-1 min. 38: Guruzeta. 3-1 min. 79: Álvaro Djaló
Referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez
Yellow cards
Berenguer (min. 19), Aitor Paredes (min. 29), Hugo Sotelo (min. 49), Benat Prados (min. 51), Moriba Kourouma (min. 85)
Athletic started with more poise, trying to impose their authority as hosts, taking advantage of the fact that Celta started out somewhat out of balance in defence, and the red-and-whites quickly opened up a gap, with a ball that came from the boots of an increasingly essential Iñaki Williams, this time without the help of his brother Nico, who is out after his injury in Leganés. The eldest went back to the byline, passed back, and Sancet finished first, the ball bounced off a defender and Guruzeta, who was making his debut as a goalscorer, put his leg in, opportunely, to open the session.
Celta were down to ten men because Mingueza had been injured in a clash with Williams and had to be replaced by Marcos Alonso. But the Vigo side were not deterred by the setbacks. Little by little they took control and pushed towards Agirrezabala’s area, who, in an action in which Iago Aspas got into the area, committed a penalty, which the captain took to tie the game.
Under the guidance of the imperial Sancet, Athletic tried to strike again, although the appearance of Alonso opened up new possibilities for Celta. He himself tried with a backheel, which Julen responded with a great save. Guaita, however, could not do the same after a cross from Berenguer was headed in by Guruzeta to put Athletic back in the lead.
After the break, the surprise for the red-and-whites was the appearance of Alex Padilla in goal, replacing Julen, who was hurt by the knock with Aspas in the penalty play. The Spanish-Mexican goalkeeper did not have to intervene too much, but he found himself facing a Celta side that did not speculate for a second after the restart. He took the ball and did not let it go, with Athletic well back and looking for a counterattack. Berenguer could have scored in a play on the left, the wing preferred by Marcos Alonso on the other side, for his runs, which unleashed panic in the stands.
But as the minutes went by, Celta lost momentum and Athletic started to feel more comfortable. Iñaki Williams, who is becoming the king of assists for the red and whites, detected this when he passed a ball from the byline to Djaló, which the former Braga player did not waste to close the scoring.
