Diaz nets stunner as Alaves wins LaLiga opener
Alaves made a winning start to its 2026-2027 LaLiga campaign after defeating 10-man Getafe 3-0 at Estadio de Mendizorroza.
Mariano Diaz was the star of the show with a goal and two assists as the pressure eventually told for Getafe, which saw Kiko Femenia sent off shortly before half-time in the first LaLiga game of the season.
Alaves showed more intent in the opening 30 minutes, but striker Toni Martinez failed to hit the target with two attempts from inside the box, while Nahuel Tengalia also saw a header blocked in the early exchanges.
The hosts then received a massive boost in the 42nd minute when the referee showed Femenia a straight red card, after a video assistant referee (VAR) check, after he caught Abde Rebbach with a high challenge near the opposition's penalty area.
Alaves pinned Getafe within its own half after the break and forced David Soria into action, with the goalkeeper quickly getting down low to his left to parry away a first-time effort from Denis Suarez.
However, Getafe's resilience was eventually broken as Tenaglia found himself unmarked in the middle from Diaz's cross, and the defender's header was too powerful for Soria to keep out.
Mikel Rodriguez squandered a late chance to double Alaves's advantage as he failed to hit the target while one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but it mattered little as Diaz curled into the top-right corner from distance in stoppage-time before also assisting a composed finish from Rodriguez.
