Two First-Half Goals Give Athletic Club a 2-0 Win at Celta Vigo

Athletic strike twice before half-time

Athletic Club defeated Celta Vigo 2-0 at Estadio Abanca Balaídos on Sunday, August 30, securing a convincing La Liga win in Round 3. The visitors scored both goals before the interval, with Celta unable to find a response despite having more of the ball after the break.

The opening goal arrived in the 20th minute. I. Williams supplied the assist for A. Berenguer, who finished to give Athletic the advantage. Two minutes later, R. Navarro doubled the lead, with I. Ruiz de Galarreta providing the final pass. The quick succession of goals established the pattern for the rest of the match and left Celta facing a two-goal deficit at half-time.

Athletic create the clearer chances

Celta enjoyed 53% possession and completed 570 passes to Athletic’s 492, with an 88% passing accuracy compared with the visitors’ 87%. That control did not translate into enough attacking threat, however. Athletic recorded 17 total shots to Celta’s eight, including seven on target compared with two, while their expected-goals figure was 2.64 against Celta’s 0.56.

Athletic also led 12-6 in shots inside the box and won seven corners to Celta’s four. The statistics therefore showed a difference between possession and productivity: Celta circulated the ball more, but Athletic produced the more dangerous opportunities. Ionuț Radu made five saves for the hosts, while Unai Simón made two for Athletic.

Changes fail to alter the result

Celta made four changes at half-time, bringing on I. Aspas, J. Rueda, Y. Lago and M. Roman for H. Gonzalez, J. Rodriguez, A. Faye and I. Moriba. W. Swedberg was then replaced by H. Alvarez in the 57th minute. Athletic made one recorded change, with G. Guruzeta replacing I. Williams in the 65th minute, but the visitors maintained their advantage.

Athletic collected three yellow cards. Y. Berchiche was booked in the 48th minute, R. Navarro in the 61st and B. Gerenabarrena in the 71st. Celta finished without a booking, although Athletic committed 17 fouls to the home side’s eight.

Result changes the early form picture

Álex Berenguer was the standout performer, earning a match rating of 8.2 after playing 92 minutes. His goal, four key passes and one shot on target underlined his influence in Athletic’s decisive first-half display. Robert Navarro also made a major contribution with a goal and two shots on target in 74 minutes.

The result ended Athletic Club’s run of two consecutive losses in the listed pre-match form and gave them their first points of the campaign. Celta, who had entered with a draw and a loss, suffered another defeat. The supplied La Liga standings listed Celta 16th with one point from two games and Athletic 20th with none from two; the victory marks a significant change in Athletic’s early league position and form outlook.