LaLiga: Franco Vazquez and Matchday 1 Key Player Round-Up
The first matchday in LaLiga provided storylines aplenty and we round them up for you nice and tidy.
By Gabrielle Amado
Player of the Round: Franco Vazquez
Sevilla won Round 1 after a dramatic 10-goal thriller versus Espanyol that saw the Europa League champions walk away with 3 points after a a 6-4 win. There was no shortage of skill, hustle and pure fire power and thus it was fitting that one of Jorge Sampaoli’s men would take this week’s ‘player of the round’ title.
Nicknamed ‘Mudo’, Franco Vazquez, put Sevilla in the lead in the 54th minute and would mark the goal that changed the flow of the game for good. Sevilla would lead the remainder of the 90 minutes and claim victory with Vazquez also picking up an assist in the 74th minute by providing Hiroshi Kiyotake with Sevilla’s final goal of the night.
Vazquez looked composed in this high intensity, high pressure match and delivered in the moments that mattered most. He fought both offensively and defensively and was responsible for creating some of Sevilla’s best opportunities in addition to being involved in those that ultimately won them the match.
The Argentine lit up the twitterverse with Sevilla fans bursting with excitement over their new signing’s performance and something tells me he is just getting started.
Super Sub: Fran Merida
Fran Merida was the man behind Osasuna’s first point picked up in their return to LaLiga Santander. The ex-Arsenal midfielder came on in the 71st minute for Fausta Tienzo and boss Enrique Martin would be thankful he did.
Merida’s goal in the 85th minute of Osasuna’s visit to Malaga marks not only his first goal for the club but his first top league goal since scoring for Arsenal versus Bolton back in January of 2010. Picking up a point away from home and in your return to the top flight after two seasons away is an enormous victory and Osasuna fans can thank super sub Fran Merida who is on his way to establishing iconic status at the club.
Rising Star: Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio. If you aren’t familiar with this name yet, it’s time to get informed because this will be one of the breakout stars of this LaLiga Santander campaign. In his league debut with Real Madrid, Asensio looked like a seasoned veteran, keeping ‘cool as a cucumber’ as Ray Hudson put it to show poise and control before chipping a sensational Varane pass past Real Sociedad keeper Rulli.
Asensio now has two goals in his first two competitive games for Real Madrid and was the first Merengue player to score on his La Liga debut since Gareth Bale did back in 2013. Asensio has been the talk of the summer and he will without question continue to be a, if not the, rising starlet to watch this season.
Goal of the Week:
With Alaves’ first shot on target, Manu Garcia does the impossible: a 94th minute goal against Atletico Madrid to level the board and steal a point away from Diego Simeone and his men! A right footed rocket slipped into the net leaving Atletico Madrid in shock and now two points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The golazo speaks for itself...