Only 17 seconds were enough for Mario Martín to leave the first message to Tenaglia. A minute later, the Argentine center-back of Alavés returned it to Getafe. This time on Satriano’s ankle. No more was needed: this match could only be played with a knife between the teeth. Nothing personal. This is the football of the humble. And a more solid Alavés, which benefited from playing with one more player throughout the second half, took the win. A goal from Tenaglia in the 73rd minute and, with the match broken, others from Mariano and Mikel, shaped the 3-0.
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From the opening whistle both teams came out with an intensity as if the summer break had only been a long ordeal. And the Babazorros were very happy. Until, despite Alavés’ dominance, they left a ball on a silver platter to Satriano in the heart of the area that, if it hadn’t been for Tenaglia’s saving foot, looked like a goal. But after the scare, this crowd, which is used to strong emotions, quickly recovered.
Approaching the 40th minute, Kiko Femenía delivered a mid-height tackle on Rebbach. Yellow card reviewed by VAR: red. Then the great celebration and the ground shaking. The crowd jumping in the background. People seemed to be having a good time despite it still not being very clear what was at stake.
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Things got organized in the second half. Alavés gained verticality and, facing a well-positioned blue defense, the bombardment of balls into the area from the wings seemed the only way out. And, who would have thought, the entry of Mariano, the one who spent all last season in low form, was a boost: imaginative, asking for the ball, assisting Tenaglia to put the first on the scoreboard and scoring the second. Miracle!, Catholics might think on this day of the Assumption. We’ll have to see if it’s a miracle with or without planned obsolescence.
To finish, the signing that excites Alavés fans the most, Mikel Rodríguez scored the final goal in the match’s added time. By then, Getafe had long exhausted their options.
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