By SCM Sports Desk I Friday August 28, 2026
VIGO, SPAIN — MARCOS ALONSO suffered a horrific moment of madness to trigger a chaotic second-half collapse for Celta Vigo, allowing a relentless Osasuna to snatch a 2-1 victory at a stunned Estádio Municipal de Balaídos.
The former Chelsea and Barcelona defender was handed a straight red card following a VAR review just six minutes into the second half for a dreadful studs-up tackle on Iker Muñoz.
The red card utterly flipped the LaLiga clash on its head, destroying Celta’s dominance and gifting Osasuna the invitation they needed to storm back from a goal down.
It had all started so brightly for the hosts in Galicia. Celta’s evergreen talisman, 39-year-old Iago Aspas, proved age is just a number by producing a stroke of pure genius in the 14th minute.
Latching onto a precise pass from young midfield prospect Miguel Román, the legendary forward unleashed a classic left-footed curling strike from outside the penalty area, nestling the ball neatly into the bottom right corner.
At that stage, Celta looked firmly in command. Operating with fluidity, the home side controlled 51.7% of the total ball possession, stringing together 557 passes at an impressive 87% accuracy rate to completely starve Osasuna of early rhythm.
Aspas remained a constant menace on the right flank, completing dribbles and orchestrating attacks while youngster Pablo Durán caused chaos on the opposite wing with three successful dribbles.
However, Alonso’s 51st-minute rush of blood changed the entire narrative.
With Celta reduced to ten men, Osasuna star man Raúl García seized full control of the match. Pulling the strings with supreme authority, García recorded a stellar 94% pass completion rate while constantly probing the depleted Celta backline.
Just three minutes after Alonso trudged down the tunnel, García crafted the equalizer with a silky assist, setting up Kike Barja to smash home a right-footed effort from the middle of the box in the 54th minute.
Osasuna immediately smelled blood and laid siege to the Celta goal. The visitors dominated the shooting metrics, racking up 13 total shots compared to Celta’s paltry four, whilst testing Celta keeper Ionut Radu with five shots on target to the hosts’ two.
The inevitable pressure paid off in the 64th minute when Celta fullback Javi Galán handed the visitors a lifeline by handling inside his own penalty box. Up stepped Osasuna’s star striker Ante Budimir, who proved to be the ultimate game-changer off the bench.
Budimir calmly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, converting the penalty with ice-cold composure to seal a famous comeback win for the visitors.
Despite late Celta aerial bombardments, Osasuna anchor Lucas Torró dominated the defensive physical battles, winning three key aerial duels and committing two tactical fouls to shut down any hope of a late home equalizer.
The final whistle confirmed a night of frustration for Celta Vigo, who were left counting the costly price of Alonso’s moment of madness.
