Deportivo Alavés vs Getafe CF

Alavés opened their La Liga campaign in style, breaking down a stubborn Getafe side that spent the entire second half a man down. It took until the 73rd minute for the deadlock to break, but once it did, the hosts turned a tight, foul-riddled contest into a rout at Mendizorroza. The turning point came just before halftime when Kiko Femenía was shown a direct red card in the 42nd minute, leaving Getafe to defend with ten men for the rest of the match. Nahuel Tenaglia finally made the extra man count with a header in the 73rd minute, and Alavés twisted the knife late on with goals from Mariano Díaz in the 92nd minute and Mikel Rodríguez two minutes later. Mariano's strike was reportedly his first goal in over four years, a nice personal footnote to the rout. For Alavés, it's the perfect start to the season, a home win built on patience and ruthless finishing once Getafe's numerical disadvantage took hold. Getafe, meanwhile, face an early reality check after a disciplined but ultimately costly night in the Basque Country, undone by a first-half sending off they never recovered from.