Racing Santandervs
AlavésYassir Zabiri had a yellow card in his pocket and a goal on his mind. That combination could have unraveled Racing Santander's night — instead, it defined it. The Moroccan forward leveled before half-time and then put his side ahead eight minutes into the second half, turning a match Alavés had started sharply into a 2-1 Racing Santander win in front of 21,342 at El Sardinero.
Our pre-match read called this one too close to split, and for a good stretch of the first half it looked exactly that way.
A Rough Open, Then Alavés Strike First
The match started in a scrap. Nahuel Tenaglia and Pablo Ibáñez were both booked for Alavés inside the opening eight minutes — two yellow cards before anyone had caught their breath. The aggression didn't help the visitors defensively, but it didn't stop them from scoring either. Ville Koski put Alavés ahead in the 18th minute, and at that point Racing Santander were chasing a game they'd barely had time to settle into.
The home side's response took a while to find shape. When Zabiri himself picked up a yellow card in the 35th minute, the concern was real — one more reckless moment and Racing Santander would be down to ten. But three minutes later, Iñigo Vicente threaded an assist through for Zabiri, who finished to make it 1-1. Cabal, that was the moment the match turned.
Zabiri Closes It Out
The second half opened with Racing Santander carrying the momentum, and Zabiri made it count. His second goal came in the 53rd minute, unassisted this time, and it gave the home side a lead they would not relinquish.
Alavés kept pressing — 16 shots on the night to Racing Santander's 11, eight on target to four — but Racing's goalkeeper was sharp when it mattered, finishing with seven saves. El chispudo de Zabiri aside, the backline held firm under real pressure from a visiting side that came into this match with four wins from their last five.
The bookings kept coming. Antonio Blanco and Jorge Salinas were both cautioned in the 62nd minute in what felt like a flashpoint that could have escalated further. It didn't — until the 89th minute, when André Almeida saw red for Racing Santander, leaving the home side to manage the final moments a man down. They did, just about.
Verdict
Racing Santander will feel this was a necessary and hard-earned three points. Their form coming in — two wins, two losses, a draw in their last five — needed something like this to steady the ship. Alavés, despite the better shot numbers, will feel the two early bookings set a difficult tone that they never quite escaped. The question now is whether that defensive discipline holds as their schedule tightens. For Racing, Zabiri is clearly the man to watch — and the man opponents will need to foul carefully.
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