The La Liga 2024/25 season kicked off this week with a Thursday night match on August 15 between Athletic Club and Getafe. Here’s a recap of the results and notable moments from the first matchday of the league.
Uche Shines In La Liga Debut, Getafe and Athletic Share Points In 1-1 Stalemate
Thursday marked Christantus Uche’s La Liga debut after five years in the lower tiers of Spanish football, and he made an immediate impact by netting a crucial goal that secured a draw for Getafe against Athletic Club.
The debutant had a golden chance to put Getafe ahead in the initial half after outrunning the Athletic defense. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity as Alex Padilla managed to deflect the ball away.
It was Athletic’s Sancet who broke the deadlock, finding the net for the first time this season just before the 30-minute mark with a swift shot that beat David Soria into the right corner of the goal.
Uche equalized in the second half, heading in a precise cross from Luis Milla. Williams nearly secured a victory for Athletic with two late chances off the bench, but Soria thwarted both attempts.
Ultimately, both sides had to be content with one point each from their opening match of the season. Athletic has now gone five consecutive seasons without winning their first game, accumulating three draws and two defeats in that span. Getafe’s record isn’t much brighter, having failed to win their opening fixture in the last four seasons as well.
Girona & Betis End In Draw In Their La Liga Curtain Raiser
In a thrilling start to their season, Girona managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Real Betis on Thursday. Over the summer, Girona saw significant changes with key players like Savinho, Artem Dovbyk, and Aleix Garcia departing. As they prepare for their debut in the Champions League later this season, the team’s performance with their new lineup was uncertain.
Betis took an early lead when Marc Bartra converted a header from Nabil Fekir’s corner kick merely six minutes into the game.
New addition Abel Ruiz nearly equalized around the one-hour mark but was denied by the post. Ultimately, Girona managed to equalize thanks to two substitutes, Iker Almena and Dutch newcomer Gabriel Misehouy, who joined from Ajax this summer. Almena’s low cross split two defenders, allowing Misehouy to chip it in.
Betis’s Chimy Avila almost regained the lead for his team but was thwarted by the post as well.
The match concluded at 1-1, with both teams earning a point to kick off their season. Girona’s next challenge will be against Atletico Madrid, while Betis is set to face Alaves.
Sevilla and Las Palmas Finish 2-2
In another exciting fixture, Sevilla FC drew 2-2 against Las Palmas yesterday. Sevilla opened the scoring through an own goal by Alex Suarez in the 25th minute.
The advantage was short-lived as Tanguy Nianzou Kouassi scored an own goal, leveling the game just before halftime.
Sevilla took the lead again post-break with Juanlu Sanchez netting a goal in the 62nd minute from within the penalty area. Las Palmas quickly responded through Sandro Ramirez, scoring shortly after to mark the final score of the game. The match ended at 2-2, positioning both Sevilla and Las Palmas two points behind Celta, who top the Spanish championship following their win over Alavés.
