At Estadio Abanca Balaídos, Celta Vigo surrendered a 3–1 half-time lead to lose 3–4 to Alaves in a dramatic La Liga Regular Season - 29 fixture. Claudio Giraldez’s 3-4-3 produced a blistering first-half attacking display, but Quique Sanchez Flores’ 4-4-2, reshaped heavily at the break, turned the game on its head. Despite Celta edging possession (55%) and xG (1.84 to 1.83), Alaves’ more incisive second-half transitions and bench impact delivered four unanswered goals from open play across the match and exposed structural fragilities in Celta’s back three and wide midfield.
Scoring Sequence & Disciplinary Log
Celta struck first through a classic wing-back to forward pattern. On 19', F. Jutgla finished a move created by right-sided defender J. Rodriguez, exploiting the space behind Alaves’ full-back. The hosts doubled their lead on 27' when H. Alvarez converted after link-up with Jutgla, punishing Alaves’ loose defensive spacing between centre-backs and full-backs.
Celta’s 3-0 advantage arrived on 37', again via Jutgla, this time assisted by central midfielder H. Sotelo, who stepped into a high pocket to feed the forward between lines. Alaves, however, found a lifeline at 45' when T. Martinez scored from an A. Perez assist, signalling their threat whenever they could connect quickly into the front two.
Discipline began to bite around the break. At 45+3', J. Rodriguez of Celta Vigo received a yellow card for a foul. Earlier, at 22', Alaves defender J. Pacheco had been booked for a foul.
The second half belonged to Alaves’ restructured side. On 46', D. Suarez (IN) came on for C. Alena (OUT), I. Diabate (IN) came on for L. Boye (OUT), J. Guridi (IN) came on for P. Ibanez (OUT), and A. Rebbach (IN) came on for J. Pacheco (OUT), radically altering the away team’s midfield and forward dynamics. The impact was immediate: on 50', A. Perez scored, assisted by T. Martinez, cutting the deficit to 3–2.
Celta responded with their own changes at 54': S. Carreira (IN) came on for A. Nunez (OUT), and F. Lopez (IN) came on for O. Mingueza (OUT), aiming to refresh the midfield and right side. On 65', F. Lopez received a yellow card for a foul, underlining the increased defensive strain Celta were under.
Further Celta adjustments came at 69', with J. Rueda (IN) coming on for B. Iglesias (OUT) and P. Duran (IN) coming on for J. El Abdellaoui (OUT), but they did not halt the momentum swing. On 74', T. Martinez struck again, this time from an A. Rebbach assist, levelling the game at 3–3 after a direct, vertical phase. Just four minutes later, at 78', A. Rebbach completed the comeback with the winner, assisted by left-back V. Parada, exploiting Celta’s stretched back line.
Celta’s final roll of the dice saw I. Aspas (IN) come on for J. Aidoo (OUT) at 82', a shift towards even greater attacking risk. In stoppage time, at 90+4', Denis Suarez received a yellow card for a foul for Alaves, and moments later V. Koski (IN) came on for T. Martinez (OUT) to secure the result.
In total, Celta Vigo received 2 yellow cards, while Alaves also saw 2 yellow cards.
Tactical Breakdown & Personnel
Celta’s 3-4-3 was front-loaded and aggressive. With I. Radu in goal behind a back three of C. Dominguez, J. Aidoo and J. Rodriguez, the hosts sought to build with width from the wing-backs J. El Abdellaoui and A. Nunez, supported centrally by H. Sotelo and O. Mingueza. The front three of H. Alvarez, B. Iglesias and F. Jutgla constantly attacked the channels and half-spaces.
In the first half, this structure overwhelmed Alaves’ 4-4-2. Celta’s 55% possession and 505 total passes at 87% accuracy reflect a controlled, patient circulation that consistently pulled Alaves’ midfield line apart. Their 9 shots inside the box from 12 total attempts show how effectively they converted possession into high-quality territory. Jutgla’s movement between the lines and to the right half-space, combined with Alvarez’s runs off the left, repeatedly isolated Alaves’ full-backs and created cut-back and through-ball lanes.
However, the same aggressive positioning left Celta vulnerable once the game became transitional. Alaves’ xG of 1.83 from 14 shots (10 inside the box) underlines how frequently they were able to attack the penalty area with direct, vertical moves. The turning point was Sanchez Flores’ quadruple substitution at 46'. Introducing D. Suarez and J. Guridi added composure and progression in central areas, while I. Diabate and A. Rebbach brought pace and penetration around T. Martinez.
From that moment, Alaves’ 4-4-2 morphed into a more fluid, attacking shape in possession, with wide midfielders tucking inside and full-backs, especially V. Parada, advancing to provide width. The second Alaves goal at 50' exemplified this: quicker central combinations freed Perez between the lines, and Celta’s back three, now more exposed as their wing-backs tired, struggled to pick up runners.
Celta’s response via S. Carreira and F. Lopez at 54' aimed to stabilise the right flank and refresh central energy, but the structural issue remained: with wing-backs high and the front three not always counter-pressing effectively, transitions left large spaces either side of Aidoo. As the match wore on, the introduction of J. Rueda and P. Duran, then the late attacking switch with I. Aspas for centre-back Aidoo at 82', further tilted the balance towards attack at the expense of defensive solidity.
In goal, both I. Radu and A. Sivera recorded 2 saves each. While neither was under constant siege in terms of shot volume, both had to manage high-quality chances in the box. The lack of goals prevented (0 for both teams) aligns with the scoreline: the finishing largely matched the quality of chances created, and neither goalkeeper produced a decisive overperformance relative to xG.
The Statistical Verdict
Statistically, the match was finely balanced but defined by phases. Celta’s 55% possession, 505 passes and 87% accuracy versus Alaves’ 45%, 404 passes and 82% accuracy show that the hosts controlled the ball and tempo for long stretches, particularly in the first half. Their 12 total shots with 9 inside the box and 4 blocked attempts illustrate a structured attacking plan that regularly reached dangerous zones, but perhaps lacked the volume to fully kill the game.
Alaves, with 14 total shots and 10 inside the box, were more explosive than methodical. Only 1 of their attempts was blocked, reflecting the clean looks they generated once Celta’s structure broke down. Both sides finished with near-identical xG (1.84 for Celta, 1.83 for Alaves), yet Alaves converted their late dominance into goals more ruthlessly.
Defensively, Celta committed 13 fouls to Alaves’ 16, and each side collected 2 yellow cards, underscoring a competitive, physical contest rather than a reckless one. Corner counts (4 for Celta, 1 for Alaves) again point to Celta’s territorial pressure, but the away side’s superior transition efficiency and impactful substitutions ultimately decided a tactically volatile match.
