Ready to go, Quique Sánchez Flores's men emerged under the flickering Friday night lights. Just a few seconds after kickoff, Isaac Romero as Óliver, making his debut, had the first opportunity. He ran quickly on the right side, crossed the ball into the box, and it struck the forward's head, just missing. Not content to stop there, our attackers pounced once again on the Álaves box a minute later. Jesús Navas was cleared to the edge of the box, and the captain sent a shot that just missed the far-left side of the crossbar.
The game's tempo decreased as it fell behind. As Álaves eventually got the hang of the game, opportunities were few. After falling in the opposing box and receiving medical attention, Salas valiantly continued. Regretfully, the moment play resumed, Carlos Vicente took possession of the ball on the left flank for Álaves and swung it into Kike Garcíá, who scored a shot that deflected off the defender.