Athletic Bilbao secured an important 2-0 victory against Celta de Vigo at the Estadio de Balaídos this Sunday. Goals from Álex Berenguer and Robert Navarro in the opening 21 minutes decided the match on the third matchday of LaLiga EA Sports.
RPP Noticias covered the game where Edin Terzic's team left the field with three vital points. Athletic's lineup showed a 4-5-1 formation with Unai Simón in goal and a defensive line of Jesús Areso, Aitor Paredes, Aymeric Laporte and Yuri Berchiche. In midfield played Iñigo Ruiz, Gere, Álex Berenguer, Oihan Sancet and Robert Navarro, while Iñaki Williams acted as the lone striker.
How did the goals develop?
Álex Berenguer opened the scoring in the 19th minute of the first half. The player completed a team move with a precise finish that beat the Celta goalkeeper. Just two minutes later, Robert Navarro extended the lead with a shot from inside the area. Berenguer finished the match with 27 accurate passes, 2 recoveries and 2 shots, while Navarro registered 30 correct passes, 3 recoveries and another 2 shots.
Celta manager Claudio Giráldez lined up his team in a 3-4-3 formation that couldn't contain Athletic's early push. Changes came at halftime with Ilaix Moriba replacing Miguel Román and in the 56th minute with Williot Swedberg coming on for Hugo Álvarez. Later substitutions included Hugo González for Iago Aspas, Javier Rodríguez for Javi Rueda and Abdoulaye Faye for Yoel Lago.
What changes did Athletic Bilbao make?
Edin Terzic used his bench to manage the advantage. In the 64th minute he made a triple change: Iñaki Williams came off for Gorka Guruzeta, Oihan Sancet for Peio Canales and Iñigo Ruiz for Mikel Jauregizar. Nine minutes later, Robert Navarro made way for Nico Williams. The final modification came in the 87th minute when Jesús Areso was replaced by Johaneko Louis-Jean.
Discipline was an area for improvement for the Bilbao side. Yuri Berchiche received a yellow card in the 2nd minute of the second half, Robert Navarro in the 15th and Gere in the 25th, all for unsporting conduct. These bookings add to the team's current absentees: Beñat Prados, Dani Vivian and Andoni Gorosabel are currently sidelined with injuries, according to the club's injuries report.
What does this victory mean for the standings?
Before the match, Athletic occupied eighteenth position with just one point, while Celta was twelfth with three. These three points distance the team from the relegation places and provide breathing room in the table. Next week Athletic will face new challenges in a schedule you can check on our fixtures page.
The team demonstrated defensive solidity by keeping a clean sheet and attacking efficiency with two goals in three minutes. This away victory provides an important morale boost for the dressing room. Complete match data is available in our stats section, where individual and collective performance can be analyzed.
The current squad, which you can review in the squad section, must maintain this level in the coming weeks. The victory at Balaídos establishes a foundation on which to build the season, especially with several important players recovering from injuries.
