The third week of LaLiga EA Sports holds the debut of this new weekly section by ELXIIDEAL: LaLiga Overtime. In this space, some of the most relevant events of the match day will be analyzed.
The first iteration will be based around the young talents that can be found in LaLiga who are making a name for themselves. Bellingham, Lamine Yamal or Athletic’s comeback will be some of the protagonists of the first “overtime” of the season.
Bellingham, the main man:
When Real Madrid acquired Jude Bellingham this summer, it was common knowledge that the ‘merengue’ side had signed the midfielder of the future. Despite arriving with the expectations of a starter, the Englishman has surprised everyone with his scoring ability. Four goals in three matches that secure points like in Almería or Vigo.
Against Rafa Benítez’s pupils, Real Madrid found themselves in front of a five-man backline that barely granted any spaces, those that can only be found by geniuses of the sport. One of them is Rodrygo, who was clearly the decisive player in ‘The Whites’ attack with eight completed dribbles.
Real Madrid’s diamond formation suffered to control the game as a result of the work put in by Celta’s defense (commanded by Carl Starfelt) which was excellent until the 81st minute. A light touch by Joselu set up Bellingham on the far post to convert a header that would define the match’s result after beating Aidoo to the ball.
The man of the hour, the main man, helped Ancelotti’s squad preserve their full house of wins in LaLiga EA Sports.
Samba with Savinho:
Girona arrived at Sánchez-Pizjuán to face Sevilla, who are in the midst of a major crisis. With the goals of Yangel Herrera and Aleix García, the team managed by Míchel defeated Mendilibar’s pupila, who have sunk in the standings after recording a loss in each of the three games that have been played so far.
One of the highlights of the match came in the cooling break. To the open microphone, Girona’s coach left an equally curious and fantastic statement. “Play like you would on the street” is what Míchel said during the timeout in order to encourage his team to be more daring with the ball on their feet.
Savinho took his coache’s advice literally. The Brazilian winger transformed Sánchez-Pizjuan into the pitch at his home town of São Mateus. Used to “playing like he would on the street” Savinho was the MVP of his team. With the personality and talent of a Brazilian, the 19-year-old displayed his outstanding dribbling ability by completing three of them throughout the course of the match (3/6 completed dribbles).
He only lacked a goal as the finishing touch to a performance that could mark the beginning to one of the revelations of the season. For the record, the play in which he broke Gudelj down with a heel touch that Dmitrovic saved from reaching the back of the net. It is clear that Savinho loves the playstyle of the streets and us, the audience, will certainly enjoy his coming performances.
Lamine Yamal and ‘La Masía’s’ audacity:
There is something going on in ‘La Masía’. We do not know if it is a potion or the food the serve to the Culé academy players that gives them a level of audacity that is rare in players as young as them. Messi, Gavi or Ansu Fati are some examples of wonderkids who have been inexplicably bold.
The last member of the list is Lamine Yamal who, at the young age of 16, was Barça’s best player in their 3-4 win at Estadio de La Cerámica. Yamal had shown glimpses of his audacity in previous matches, but against Villarreal, the academy player had his first major performance in LaLiga EA Sports.
An assist to Gavi (yet another product of La Masía’s insolence) in the first goal a shot that hit the post which allowed Lewandowski’s goal were his highlights. For the remainder of the game, Yamal was Barça’s offensive conductor. His dynamism was a headache for Pedraza and the coverage to help the full-back was not enough to stop him.
But the right-winger was not the only one to display such boldness, as Fermín López also showed a lot of personality in his first 11 minutes in the Spanish First Division. We do not know what is up with La Masía to cause such insolence, but hopefully they will keep on providing it at this monstrous pace.
A lion never gives up:
Some stadiums have a special atmosphere that classifies them as temples. One of the temples of Spanish football is San Mamés, a magical enclosure cheered by the roars of the lions’ fans.
This week, Ernesto Valverde’s herd started off wounded. A Betic windstorm was detected in the ‘Cathedral’, a hurricane that overwhelmed Bilbao and made the result 0-2 in ten minutes. But at that moment, when the lion was about to die, the roar of the audience revived Athletic.
A comeback commanded by Nico Williams, who drew two penalties (one of which was controversial, but this section will not discuss the performance of the referees) that Verga scored against Rui Silva.
Right before halftime, the other Williams, Iñaki, set up Guruceta with a clinical ball to confirm a comeback that made San Mamés go wild. Introducing Guruceta in the starting eleven has relieved pressure from the Williams brothers and allowed them to shine in the wings of Athletic’s attack.
A historical night in San Mamés, the first time the team has come back from a two-goal déficit in their new stadium (also the first time it has happened in LaLiga since facing Osasuna in 2005). It was a cub, Unai Gómez, that put the cherry on top and was thrilled to celebrate his first goal as a “Lion”. Comebacks like this prove that a lion never gives up.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: Edit by Pablo Benítez.
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