Alavés promoted to the First Division with a goal in extra time discounted against Levante | Sports

Asier Villalibre joined Vitoria on loan in the winter transfer market. He was a good complement for the Vitoria team, with five goals in the minutes he played, but in the Valencian night he had the opportunity to earn the perpetual memory of the Alava fans. He was in the extra time discount, in the last play, after a corner in which the Alava goalkeeper went up in despair. The cleared ball came out and at the last moment the ball hit Pier’s hand. After several minutes of suspense, the referee went to the VAR. He saw the play and signaled a penalty. With surprising calmness, Villalibre launched, deceived Femenías and led his team to the First Division.

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Joan Femenias, Marc Pubill, Vezo (Postigo, 110 mins), Róber, Alex Muñoz, Iborra, Pepelu, De Frutos (Son, 111 mins), Joni Montiel (Robert Ibáñez, 92 mins), Mohamed Bouldini and Brugué ( Wesley, minute 57)

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Sivera, Rubén Duarte (Javi López, 90 mins), Abdel Abqar, Nahuel Tenaglia (Jason, 97 mins), Sedlar, Luis Rioja, Guridi (Joaquín Panichelli, 85 mins), Carlos Benavídez, Xeber Alkain (Abderrahman Rebbach, min.62), Villalibre and Miguel De La Fuente (Toni Moya, min.69)

goals 0-1 min. 129: Villalibre.

Referee Francisco José Hernandez Maeso

Yellow cards Rubén Duarte (min. 19), Joni Montiel (min. 91), Pepelu (min. 96), Joaquín Panichelli (min. 100), Iborra (min. 109), Soldado (min. 110), Abdel Abqar (min. 112), Carlos Benavídez (114 mins), Sivera (123 mins) and Mustafi (127 mins)

Alavés had no choice but to win, so Luis García Plaza decided that Miguel and Villalibre would play together, two forwards who usually take turns. The Vitoria coach had no other choice, who planned an attacking match, or at least close to the Levante area. Calleja took it more calmly, as if the logical nerves in such an important match, in which his players walked through the aisle between the fans entering the stadium, weren’t eating it from the inside. It was enough for his team to wait, which is not the same as entrenching themselves around Femenías.

He tried to steal Levante, he oxygenated his football by looking for De Frutos on the left, and this made Alavés uncomfortable, who with the ball at his feet encouraged the preferential lane with Alkain and his engagement with Guridi, while Villalibre became a rock when he received with his back and opened to the bands.

It was the Biscay striker who had the first option on a ball that fell from the clouds. He hooked up and went high. Bouldini responded with a header from a corner and then a counterattack from Alavés through Miguel De la Fuente, who lost momentum entering the area. At times, Levante took the initiative and frightened Montiel when he had the space to shoot, but Alava’s central defenders, very attentive, managed to cover the gaps.

The best of the first half was for Alavés, on a reply from Villalibre to Duarte, who with a poisoned cross disconcerted the granota defense, crossed the small area and Tenaglia’s shot without an angle was neutralized by Pier with his body , before colliding with the pole. Alavés pushed the game more to their side, but their efforts clashed with apparent local tranquility.

The same thing happened at the beginning of the second part. As soon as they left, the Vitoria team gave Levante a big scare when Miguel found the space to run and the hole to shoot. Femenías’ parried landed on Rioja’s feet, ideally placed to give his side the lead, but the goalkeeper appeared again to save his side.

Alavés persisted in the home area, and Villalibre scored with a high header from Alkain’s cross. With the tiredness reflected on the players’ faces, with the maximum imprecision in their actions after an intense match, the spaces opened up for both teams, and with Alavés launched in search of the promotion goal, Levante was able to condemn for his team in a Montiel’s left foot shot in which Sedlar puts his body to repel, and in a counterattack by Soldado, who shoots too sideways. But in the exchange of blows, Alavés enjoys the clearest opportunity of the match, in a local defensive inattentiveness, which allows Rebbach to look for the shot, which goes very wide.

But the score didn’t change in the 90 minutes. 180 overall so that neither team managed to score. Extra time remained and the obligation was for Alavés, who had to play half an hour to be promoted. For the Levant it was another thirty minutes of suffering.

And he also walked away without a prize. The penalty came in the last breath, when Alava fans were crying in the stands. Villalibre appeared, calm as ever and led Alavés to the First Division. “He came out perfect,” confessed the striker.

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