Alavés managed to come back from 3–0 down against a sleepy Celta side in the second half and secured their place in the safety spots.
After qualifying for the quarterfinals, Celta de Vigo hosted a struggling Alavés at Balaídos, with the visitors in desperate need of points to avoid ending the round in the relegation zone.
Lineups:
Celta de Vigo: Radu, Javi Rodríguez, Aidoo, Carlos Domínguez, Jones El-Abdellaoui, Hugo Sotelo, Mingueza, Álvaro Núñez, Ferrán Jutglá, Hugo Álvarez, Borja Iglesias.
Deportivo Alavés: Sivera, Tenaglia, Pacheco, Jonny Otto, Ángel Pérez, Antonio Blanco, Pablo Ibáñez, Carles Aleñá, Parada, Toni Martínez, Lucas Boyé.
European momentum continues
A Celta side full of absences and rotations started the match in control through possession, dealing comfortably with the visitors’ long balls. In one of their first real chances, Javi Rodríguez found Jutglá alone inside the box, and after flicking the ball up with his left foot, he finished perfectly with his right to give the hosts the lead.
Boosted by that goal, they kept attacking. Following a throw-in that Borja Iglesias let pass, the ball reached Ferrán again, who delivered a precise through pass to Hugo Álvarez. With a bit of luck, he beat Sivera to make it 2–0.
Alavés struggled to cope with Celta’s attacks, led by an inspired Jutglá. The Catalan striker struck again before halftime, producing a brilliant solo run in which he left Fernando Pacheco on the ground before firing past Sivera to make it 3–0.
Despite the scoreline, Alavés didn’t back down. In stoppage time, a cross from Ángel Pérez—missed by both Aidoo and Carlos Domínguez—was tapped in by Toni Martínez to give the visitors hope.
Historic collapse at Balaídos
Despite pulling one back before the break, Quique Sánchez Flores made four substitutions that quickly changed the game. The same duo combined again for the second goal: Toni Martínez won the ball from Carlos Domínguez inside the box and passed it to Ángel Pérez, who finished easily.
Celta came out asleep in the second half, and Alavés took full advantage. Guridi missed a clear chance just two minutes after the 3–2, and frustration began to grow among the home fans.
After ten minutes of relentless pressure, the tempo dropped, but the visitors remained in control, showing that Quique’s halftime changes had paid off.
The disaster struck in the 75th minute. Toni Martínez picked up the ball in midfield, drove forward, and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box that beat Radu. But Alavés weren’t done yet: Parada set up Rebbach, who finished calmly before the defense could react, completing a historic comeback.
