Abanca Balaídos was again dressed up to kick off the thirteenth season of RC Celta in the First Division, becoming one of the longest-lived teams in the category.
Among the more than 22.000 fans who did not want to miss the appointment, many nerves, illusion and emotion to see again our team playing 82 days later. The match began with a tribute from the whole club to Rodrigo Corrales, a player from the men’s handball team, who won the bronze medal at the recent Olympic Games 2024 in Paris. Corrales was in charge of the kick-off in front of a warm ovation from a packed stadium.
The first Laliga match of the 24/25 season for RC Celta against Deportivo Alavés kicked off.
A match that lacked nothing and the Celta team went from less to more. After four minutes, the referee, Quintero González, showed the red card to Iago Aspas for a foul on the player from Vitoria, Antonio Blanco. An action that, after being reviewed by the VAR, the referee rectified and finally showed the yellow card to the celeste player. It was an eventful start that Alavés took advantage of to take the lead in the 17th minute with a goal from Kike García.
The celeste tried to react and, on the stroke of half-time, Iago Aspas scored the equaliser which was eventually disallowed for a very tight offside by Tasos Douvikas, who was just millimetres ahead of his marker.
At the start of the second half, Claudio Giráldez moved the bench to revolutionise the game. Jailson, Williot and the league debut of home-grown player Javi Rodríguez were the coach’s gamble to achieve greater ball possession.
These changes were decisive, as the Swede scored the equaliser in the 66th minute, getting in front of the Babazorros goalkeeper and finishing with the outside of his boot.
The other great protagonist of the second half was Iván Villar with two brilliant performances just when all Abanca Balaídos was holding its breath.
RC Celta faced the end of the match seeing how Alavés increased their intensity but, in the 84th minute, the winning goal arrived. Iago Aspas, after another brilliant performance from the in-form Williot Swedberg, crossed to put the game to bed and end the curse of the first matchday.
First victory of the season that positions RC Celta as leader of LALIGA EA SPORTS. The next match will be away again and on a very special day for all celta fans. Next Friday, August 23rd, RC Celta’s 101st anniversary day, we will receive Valencia CF at Abanca Balaídos at 19:00h. A very special day in which the celta team will fight to keep the good sensations and achieve the victory.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
2 – RC Celta: Iván Villar; Manquillo (Javi Rodríguez, min.46), Starfelt, Carlos Domínguez; Mingueza, Damián, Fran Beltrán (Ilaix Moriba, min.64), Hugo Álvarez; Aspas, Bamba (Williot, min.46) and Douvikas (Borja Iglesias, min.77).
1 – Deportivo Alavés: Sivera; Carlos Vicente, Tenaglia, Abqar, Diarra; Guevara (Benavidez, min.79), Blanco; Luka Romero (Hugo Novoa, min.57), Guridi (Stoichkov, min.68), Conechny (Luis Rioja, min.68); and Kike García (Villalibre, min.79).
Goals: 0-1 Kike García, min.17; 1-1 Williot, min.65; 2-1 Aspas, min.84.
Referee: Quintero González (Andalusian Committee). Yellow cards were shown to Iago Aspas (min.8), Claudio Giráldez (min.61), Damián (min.86) for RC Celta, and to Conechny (min.45) and Abqar (min.90) for Deportivo Alavés.
Incidents: Match corresponding to Matchday 1 of LALIGA EA SPORTS played at the Abanca Balaídos stadium in front of 22,477 spectators.
