Two goals in two minutes: Athletic Club win 2-0 at Celta without being troubled

Celta Vigo are still without a win. Two quick Athletic Club goals decided this one before the half-hour.

Álex Berenguer scored on 20 minutes and Robert Navarro added a second on 22. Celta had more of the ball across the 90 minutes but never tested the goalkeeper — not one of their eight shots was on target.

Athletic hold on comfortably

Athletic picked up three yellow cards protecting the lead and did not need to do much more. They had 17 shots to Celta's eight and were the sharper side throughout.

Three matches, one point, one goal

Celta's start to the season has followed the same shape three times over. Iago Aspas put them ahead inside 14 minutes in the postponed matchday-1 opener against Osasuna, but a Marcos Alonso red card on 51 minutes turned the game around and Celta lost 1-2, managing only four shots and a single attempt inside the box all match. A goalless draw at Valencia followed, Celta again doing more of the game — 56% possession, the only big chance of the night — without finding a goal. Against Athletic Club they went a step further backwards: eight shots and not one of them on target, in a game where they had more of the ball but never troubled the goalkeeper.

A rocky opening turns into back-to-back wins

Athletic Club arrived at Balaídos with matchday 2 still stinging. Reduced to ten men after 11 minutes by a Yuri Berchiche red card, they had lost 1-3 at home to Sevilla despite out-shooting the visitors 18 to seven, and went into this match 19th in the table without a point. The win at Celta was their first of the season, and they built on it after the international break: Nico Williams and Robert Navarro scored inside two minutes of the second half and Oihan Sancet added a third late on as Athletic beat an unbeaten Atlético Madrid 3-0 at San Mamés.

Match facts

• 20' — Álex Berenguer (Athletic Club)
• 22' — Robert Navarro (Athletic Club)

Where the table stands now

Those two wins have carried Athletic Club up to 9th on 6 points from four matches, with 6 goals scored and 5 conceded. Celta Vigo, still without a win after three matches, sit 18th on a single point, inside the relegation zone, with 1 goal scored and 4 conceded. Elche, also on a single point from three games, are the only other side matching that return; Valencia needed four games to reach the same tally.

What's next

Celta began matchday 3 fourteenth on one point and are still chasing a first win. Athletic Club went into the round 19th, in the relegation zone without a point; three points lift them clear of the bottom three. Athletic's next match, after the international break, was a 3-0 win over Atlético Madrid; Celta's matchday-4 fixture at Getafe was still to be played by the time of this update.