Deportivo Alavés taste their first league defeat at Santander

Alavés under Quique Sánchez Flores ended their perfect start with their first league loss of the campaign at El Sardinero. Despite taking the lead through Ville Koski in the first half, they were overturned by Racing Santander, who won 2-1.

Racing turns it around

As MARCA reports, the game shifted after the break. The hosts came out stronger and levelled when Iñigo Vicente set up Zabiri to beat Sivera. MARCA notes that Racing had already been close to a second goal earlier, in a similar type of play.

Quique pushed his defensive line, and the strategy started to hurt: Racing repeatedly attacked the space behind the back line with verticality and through-balls. When Nicolás Valentini came on, the change did not bring the expected stability, and MARCA says he made a costly mistake leading to the second goal. Again, Zabiri was decisive, finishing inside the box after a strong move involving Vicente and Salinas.

Too little response

With plenty of time left, Alavés tried to react but couldn’t. MARCA highlights that despite a considerable volume of attempts (16 shots on goal), they never managed to wrest control back. Late changes, including Boyé and Mariano, and later Toni Martínez and Mañas, did not produce enough threat.

Now Alavés must reset and focus on their next match, a trip to face Valencia the coming Tuesday, as MARCA concludes that the first half looked like the start of the season for Quique’s side, but they couldn’t sustain it.