They had absorbed an early setback and found a way to come back
En una tarde de supervivencia en Mendizorrotza, el Deportivo Alavés encontró en la adversidad el combustible para su remontada. Tras caer ante el Mallorca de Demichelis y perder a un jugador clave por lesión, los vascos se rehícieron en la segunda parte gracias al doblete de Toni Martínez, escapando de los puestos de descenso en la jornada 32 de LaLiga. Es la historia de un equipo que, al borde del abismo, eligió resistir.
- El partido arrancó con dos golpes seguidos para el Alavés: la lesión de Boyé en el minuto 3 y el gol de Jan Virgili en el 18 dejaron al equipo vasco en una situación crítica.
- Con el marcador en contra y un hombre menos en el once, el fantasma del descenso planeaba sobre Mendizorrotza con una intensidad casi tangible.
- Lejos de hundirse, el Alavés tomó el control del partido tras encajar, generando ocasiones y acorralando a un Mallorca replegado en su área.
- Toni Martínez se convirtió en el héroe de la tarde: primero de cabeza en un córner, luego con un disparo que encontró desvío, marcó dos goles en menos de quince minutos.
- La victoria final 2-1 saca al Alavés de la zona de descenso y mantiene viva su lucha por la permanencia, con la tensión de la clasificación lejos de resolverse.
La tarde en Mendizorrotza comenzó con mal pie para el Alavés. En el minuto 3, Lucas Boyé se retiró lesionado, y apenas un cuarto de hora después Jan Virgili batía a Sivera con un disparo limpio que se coló en la escuadra lejana. El equipo vasco se encontraba perdiendo en casa, en un partido donde la derrota significaba hundirse aún más en el descenso.
Sin embargo, el equipo de Quique Sánchez Flores no se desmoronó. Tras encajar, tomaron las riendas del juego y comenzaron a generar peligro ante un Mallorca que optó por proteger su ventaja. El primer acto terminó sin goles, pero la presión seguía acumulándose.
La segunda parte fue completamente del Alavés. Toni Martínez firmó una actuación providencial: primero remató de cabeza en un córner para empatar, y minutos después un disparo suyo encontró una desvío que dejó sin opciones al portero Leo Roman. En menos de quince minutos, el marcador se había dado la vuelta: 2-1.
Más allá del resultado, la victoria tiene un valor que trasciende los noventa minutos. En una temporada donde la permanencia se decide al filo de cada jornada, el Alavés demostró capacidad de reacción ante la adversidad y salió de los puestos de descenso. La lucha por la supervivencia continúa, pero con renovado aliento.
The afternoon at Mendizorrotza began badly for Alavés. In the third minute, Lucas Boyé went down with an injury that would force him off the pitch, a blow to a team fighting for its life in the Spanish league. Fifteen minutes later, things got worse. Jan Virgili, the Mallorca forward, collected the ball at the edge of the box and struck it cleanly on his first touch. The shot bent into the far corner of the net, past Antonio Sivera, who had no chance to stop it. Alavés was down 1-0 at home, in a match where losing meant sinking deeper into the relegation zone.
Quique Sánchez Flores's team could have folded. Instead, they steadied themselves. After conceding, they began to take control of the game, sensing that Mallorca, now ahead, had decided to sit deep and protect their lead. The Basque side started creating chances. Tenaglia attempted an audacious bicycle kick that Mallorca's goalkeeper Leo Roman managed to keep out. The pressure was building, but the first half ended without an equalizer.
The second half belonged entirely to Alavés. Toni Martínez, who would become the architect of the turnaround, struck twice in less than fifteen minutes. The first came from a corner kick—a header that found the back of the net with precision. Then, almost immediately, he struck again. This time fortune played a part. His shot took a deflection that altered its path just enough to leave Roman helpless. The ball found the net, and suddenly Alavés had turned the match around. The scoreline read 2-1, and with it came something far more valuable: three points that would lift them out of the relegation places.
It was the kind of victory that matters beyond the ninety minutes. In a season where survival hangs by a thread, where every match carries the weight of the entire campaign, Alavés had found a way to escape. They had absorbed an early setback, weathered the loss of a key player, fallen behind, and then summoned the resilience to come back. Mallorca, under Martín Demichelis, had controlled the first half but could not hold on when the pressure intensified. For Alavés, the relief was palpable. They were out of the drop zone, at least for now, with the fight for permanence still very much alive.
Notable Quotes
The victory lifts Alavés out of the relegation zone— Match outcome
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made the difference between the first half and the second? They looked like two different teams.
The first half was about shock and adjustment. Losing Boyé so early, then going down to Virgili's goal—that could have broken them. But instead of panicking, they regrouped. Mallorca sat back to protect their lead, and that's when Alavés found space to work.
So Mallorca's caution actually helped Alavés?
Exactly. Once Alavés started pressing, Mallorca had no answer. They'd done their job—they were ahead—but they couldn't sustain it when the intensity rose. Toni Martínez just needed the space to operate.
Two goals in fifteen minutes is remarkable. Was it skill or luck?
Both. The first was pure technique—a header from a corner, clinical finishing. The second had fortune in it, a deflection that changed everything. But that's football. You create the chances, and sometimes the bounce goes your way.
What does this win mean for their survival hopes?
It's oxygen. They're out of the drop zone now, but there are still matches to play. This shows they can fight back, that they have the character to survive. That matters as much as the three points.