Almería 2-0 Celta Fortuna: Early Goals Seal Comfortable Win as Visitors Offer Too Little

Right. Let us not dress this up. Almería were two goals to the good before the match was 20 minutes old. After that, Celta Fortuna had the rest of the afternoon to do something about it. They did not. That tells you everything you need to know about the desire on show from the visiting side. End of.

The Match Was Won Before Half Time

Nico Melamed opened the scoring with a right-foot shot in the sixth minute, assisted by Javi Muñoz. Twelve minutes later, Muñoz got his name on the scoresheet himself, finishing with his left foot with Marcos Luna providing the assist. Two goals in 18 minutes. The basics of defending, of competing, of not switching off at the start of a game. Celta Fortuna failed every single one of those tests in the opening quarter of an hour.

The thing is, once a side goes two down that early, you see what they are made of. You either respond with urgency and attitude or you spend the rest of the match looking organised while going absolutely nowhere. Celta Fortuna chose the latter. They worked the ball around. They crossed the ball 20 times. They had five corners. They managed one shot on target. One. That is not a team that competed. That is a team that went through the motions.

What the Numbers Actually Say

Listen, I do not need a laptop to read this match. But the numbers are worth stating plainly because they paint a clear picture of accountability, or the absence of it.

Almería put 16 shots on the board to Celta Fortuna's 12. More importantly, Almería registered six shots on target. Celta Fortuna registered one. Their goalkeeper made four saves across the 90 minutes. Almería's goalkeeper was called upon just once. That is the difference between a team that creates and a team that circulates. Celta Fortuna circulated.

Almería won 42 duels to Celta Fortuna's 33. They made 20 tackles to Celta Fortuna's 10. They completed their dribbles at a 67 per cent success rate compared to 35 per cent for the visitors. That is not a question of tactics. That is a question of standards and whether you are willing to compete for the ball. Almería were willing. Celta Fortuna were not.

Almería also created four big chances to Celta Fortuna's two. The home side missed three of those four, which is the one thing that keeps this result looking closer than it felt. Had Almería been more clinical, this could have been considerably more embarrassing for the visitors.

Celta Fortuna's Recent Form Tells You This Was Coming

This was not a shock result if you had been paying attention. In the five completed La Liga 2 matches before this one, Celta Fortuna lost twice and drew once. Their most recent outing saw them lose 0-4 to SD Eibar. Four goals conceded. None scored. And then they arrived at Almería and conceded two inside 18 minutes. The thing is, that is a mentality problem. You do not ship four at home and then go away from home and compete from the first whistle. Not without real character. Celta Fortuna showed none.

Almería, for their part, came into this on the back of back-to-back La Liga 2 wins. They beat Córdoba 2-0 a week earlier and had beaten Cádiz 3-2 before that. The momentum was with the home side. They were organised, they were aggressive in the duels, and they had the attitude to match. That counts. Standards count.

Half-Time Changes Changed Nothing

Celta Fortuna made two substitutions at half time, bringing on Álvaro Marín and Mateo Sobral Sabajanes. Almería also made a change, introducing Mikel Vesga. By the 64th minute, Celta Fortuna were making further changes, sending on Pablo Gavián. By the 73rd, Vlad came on. By the 83rd, Aldrine Kibet. Five changes in total across the afternoon. None of it shifted the match. When you are chasing a game that was settled before half time, throwing bodies at the problem is not a strategy. Accountability starts before kick-off. You do not give away two goals in 18 minutes and then expect substitutions to save you.

Almería managed their game sensibly. Sergio Arribas replaced Melamed at 62 minutes once the scorer had done his job. Jon Morcillo and Álex Sola came on in the 79th minute. Almería protected what they had without any drama. That is a team that knows how to see a match out. That is professionalism.

Almería's Clean Sheet Deserves Mention

Almería kept Celta Fortuna off the scoresheet entirely. That is their third clean sheet in five La Liga 2 matches in this sample. The home side's defensive record in this window stands at four goals conceded in five matches. That is not perfect, but it is a team with some backbone. Celta Fortuna had seven accurate crosses and five corners and still could not find the net. That says something about the Almería defensive unit's commitment and organisation. They blocked, they tackled, they won their duels. The basics. The basics matter.

Celta Fortuna did hit the woodwork once, as did Almería, so the visitors can point to one moment of misfortune. But a side that generates only one shot on target across 90 minutes has no grounds for complaint. You have to earn the right to be unlucky. They did not earn that right.

The Verdict

Almería were professional, clinical early on, and composed thereafter. Celta Fortuna were passive, toothless, and fundamentally unwilling to compete from the opening whistle. Two goals conceded in 18 minutes against a side in form, at home, in front of their own supporters. That is unacceptable. No excuses, no caveats. Almería deserved this. Celta Fortuna had no one to blame but themselves. End of.