Water in Vigo. Even Berenguer’s Olympic goal before the break allowed Athletic to score points on Balaídos and secure a mathematical fifth position. The only certainty the lions took away from their visit to Vigo was that fourth place, and consequently the Champions League, is now impossible thanks to Atlético de Madrid’s victory at Getafe.
A meeting with two different faces where the local need to add three points prevailed above all to practically prove their stay in the First Division. The lions were better until half time. The setting of the match changed significantly in the second half.
Giráldez made a triple change at the start and his team was different from that. Chance and celestial demolition yielded two consecutive goals. A lot came, yes, after Valverde chose to continue substituting Agirrezabala for Unai Simón so that, most likely, Gasteiztarra could get closer to Zamora. Significant.
in favor of the present
The match started with surprises for both teams. Both Giráldez and Valverde, who again had to follow the progress of the clash from the stands while he was suspended, used rotations. The local coach chose to make six variations on the eleven that had just played in the Metropolitano. Goalkeeper Guaita, Unai Nuñez, Mingueza and Iago Aspas were among those who remained on the bench this time.
Athletic, for its part, showed eight new faces in relation to the recently concluded home derby against Osasuna. Unai Simón, Lekue and Berenguer repeated their starts while Yeray, Paredes and Imanol appeared in defence; Prados, Dani García and Unai Gómez in the middle; Adu Ares on the right wing and Villalibre on the point. Iñaki Williams, who has three goals to his name in the last two league games, is a substitute on this occasion.
The lions were in control of the match for most of the first half. Apart from a left-footed shot from Carles Pérez at the start and a header from Carlos Domínguez on the stroke of half-time, the locals hardly created any danger. The Bilbao team did not have many chances, but they had enough to lead the scoreboard. Berenguer, from an Olympic corner, opened the scoring in the 23rd minute.
The second half started with three changes for Celta. Mingueza, Hugo Álvarez and Iago Aspas joined the match and activated the local team. The lions began to suffer in defense and stopped appearing in attack. Strand Larsen put Unai Simón in trouble, including a ball that hit the crossbar, which was replaced on the hour mark, due to his fight for Zamora, along with Villalibre and Adu Ares. Agirrezabala, Raúl García and Iñaki Williams came to replace him.
Vigo’s persistence translated into a comeback with just five minutes difference between goal and goal. Williot Swedberg scored the equalizer and Hugo Álvarez made it 2-1. Valverde then turned to Galarreta and Vesga to try to settle the situation, but Bilbao’s response did not come and when it did the referee opted to disallow Raúl García’s goal due to an earlier foul on an opponent. Celta, who have spent a good part of their stay in the First Division in this situation, made their need to win against an Athletic team with no option for fourth place.
CELTIC
21
athletic
Celtic: Ivan Villar; Manquillo, Starfelt, Carlos Domínguez; Carles Pérez (Mingueza, min. 45), Damián, Beltrán, Manu Sánchez (Hugo Álvarez, min. 33); Bamba (Aspas, min. 33), Larsen (Douvikas, min. 72) and Williot Swedberg (Cervi, min. 77).
Athletic: Unai Simón (Agirrezabala, min. 62); Lekue, Yeray, Paredes, Imanol; Prados (Ruiz de Galarreta, min. 74), Dani García (Vesga, min. 74); Berenguer, Unai Gómez, Adu Ares (Iñaki Williams, min. 62); and Villalibre (Raúl García, min. 62).
The objectives: 0-1 Berenguer (min. 23); 1-1 Williot Swedberg (min. 68); 2-1 Hugo Álvarez (min. 71).
Referee: García Verdura (Catalan committee). Starfelt (min. 80) and Cervi (min. 95) were shown a yellow card by Celta.
Incidents: The match corresponding to the thirty-sixth day of LaLiga EA Sports played at the Abanca Balaídos municipal stadium in front of 21,301 spectators.
see the match sheet
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
