The needy Athletic of Edin Terzic left Vigo tonight with their first three points in the League. The Bilbao team arrived at Balaídos after the two defeats they had suffered against Sevilla and Barça and left with a victory as relieving as it was stimulating for their supporters, who finally saw the aggressive and electric version that the German coach, who in 2024 took Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final, was expected to imprint on the team. The superiority was so evident that even some whistles were heard in the stadium during the first stretch due to the passivity and ineffectiveness of the Vigo players, overwhelmed by the pace of an opponent who at times danced around them three days after also losing at home to Osasuna. The 0-2 left Claudio Giráldez’s Celta with only one point in the first three rounds, also pending a visit next Thursday to a tough rival like Real Sociedad.
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The first half of Athletic was splendid due to the intensity in the advanced pressing and the finesse in the vertical combinations. The 0-2 with which they closed the first half thanks to the goals of Berenguer and Robert Navarro even seemed short after Radu saved two one-on-ones against Sancet and Iñaki Williams. The way Gerenabarrena and Ruiz de Galarreta bit gave the Bilbao team a lot of benefit. After a steal by the former from Carreira in midfield came Berenguer’s goal, who nailed a curved shot to the far post between two opponents in an extraordinary maneuver. Another recovery by the latter sparked a fast and precise counterattack in which Ruiz de Galarreta himself assisted Robert Navarro with a fantastic pass.
Terzic’s group’s deployment gave no respite in the first half to Celta, overwhelmed by their opponent’s combinations and the collective conviction with which they sent their players to hinder the ball exit. Giráldez’s team had their game construction jammed with Miguel Román on the bench and Marcos Alonso suspended due to the red card he saw on Thursday against Osasuna. The defender’s substitute at left center back was the young Abdoulaye Faye, who looked inexperienced in some actions before being replaced at halftime.
Celta only made two isolated pecks until halftime in two actions led by Jutglá, the most lively of the attackers, although neither was a consequence of the game. The forward won a race against Laporte on a long ball from Javi Rodríguez and assisted Swedberg in a clear position against Unai Simón, but the shot was very central. The second was a hard header from a corner that Jutglà hit the crossbar.
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📐 What a 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. What a play.
— Movistar Plus Deportes (@MPlusDeportes) August 30, 2026
The 2-0 by 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨 in Athletic Club’s victory at Balaídos.#LALIGAEASPORTS #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/1x8a8jr5N1
Athletic’s play flowed, woven by Sancet’s quality, a player with an outstanding ability to orient himself towards the goal with control and dominate spaces. Giráldez shook the group with four changes at halftime, when Aspas, Rueda, Miguel Román, and Yoel Lago replaced Hugo González, Javi Rodríguez, Ilaix, and Faye. The O Porriño coach even used all his substitutions in the 57th minute by replacing Swedberg with Hugo Álvarez, an modus operandi unprecedented in the more than two years he has been on the Celta bench.
Celta’s second-half reaction helped them stop Athletic’s transitions and to keep more possession, but the Celta attacks did not find the net of Unai Simón’s goal after Starfelt missed a clear header from a corner and the shots from Aspas, Carreira, and Javi Rueda lacked venom. The German coach brought on Guruzeta, Jauregizar, Peio Canales, Nico Williams, and Johaneko after Sancet missed a clear right-footed shot after a back pass from Areso. The improvement and momentum in Celta’s second half were insufficient to hurt their rival on the day Terzic’s Athletic presented the world with a sharp version of their proposal.
| Standings | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Standings | PT | PJ | PG | PE | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
14 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
