Celta and Alaves splashed their way to a 0-0 draw in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on a rainy Thursday night at Balaidos in Vigo.
The stars of the evening were the two goalkeepers, as Celta’s Sergio Alvarez and Alaves’ Pacheco each made huge saves over the course of the 90 minutes to keep a clean sheet.
Of the two teams like Celta will rue their missed opportunities the most, as twice the hosts hit the woodwork in the second-half.
It was a nervy start from both teams. Passes were rushed and frequently off-target. Celta had the bulk of possession, but were imprecise, while Alaves were content to sit back and only occasionally make a foray forward.
Celta were looking to get forward Iago Aspas more involved but the Alaves defence was well-organised and limited the touches of the Spain international. There was not enough room for Celta to operate in midfield, which made things frustrating for the hosts.
Celta goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez was a mere spectator for the first-half until the final minutes when he was called on to make a reaction save on what was the best scoring chance of the first 45 minutes. Kiko Femenia played in an excellent ball from the right, which Manu Garcia hoped to re-direct in with his foot, but Sergio was there and parried the ball to safety.
The steady rain that had been falling since the opening whistle had turned into a downpour by the start of the second-half and made playing conditions considerably difficult.
marca.com
