Celta de Vigo secured a commanding 4-1 victory against Valencia in a match held in the 18th round of La Liga. The local team celebrated goals from Borja Iglesias, who netted twice (32’ penalty and 58’), along with contributions from Jones El-Abdellaoui (37’) and Hugo Álvarez (48’). Valencia managed to score a consolation goal through Pepelu (69’).
Despite enjoying 61% possession, Valencia struggled to convert their control into meaningful chances, failing to assert themselves as the dominant side. The visitors had an early opportunity to take the lead when Pepelu missed a penalty in the 6th minute of the first half.
Borja Iglesias was undoubtedly the star of the match, leading his team with two goals, three shots on target, and ten successful passes. Hugo Álvarez also made a notable contribution, scoring once and registering two shots.
Celta’s coach, Claudio Giráldez, deployed a 5-2-3 formation with Ionut Radu in goal; the defensive line included Sergio Carreira, Javier Rodríguez, Joseph Aidoo, Marcos Alonso, and Óscar Mingueza; while Miguel Román and Ilaix Moriba controlled the midfield; and Williot Swedberg, Borja Iglesias, and Bryan Zaragoza formed the attack.
Meanwhile, Valencia, under the management of Carlos Corberán, lined up in a 5-3-2 formation, featuring Julen Agirrezabala as the goalkeeper, alongside Dimitri Foulquier, Mouctar Diakhaby, José Copete, Jesús Vázquez, and Thierry Correia in defense, with Pepelu, Javi Guerra, and André Almeida in midfield, and a forward duo of Hugo Duro and Lucas Beltrán.
The officiating for the match was handled by Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea at the Estadio de Balaídos.
Celta’s next challenge will be on the road against Sevilla, while Valencia will host Elche for their upcoming fixture.
With this decisive win, Celta moves up to 26 points sitting in seventh place in the league, whereas Valencia remains in a precarious position with 16 points, currently in seventeenth place.
Substitutions for Celta
26’ 1T – Williot Swedberg left for Pablo Duran
Cautions for Celta:
33’ 2T – Javier Rodríguez (Unsporting Behavior)
Substitutions for Valencia
56’ 2T – Thierry Correia replaced by Luis Rioja and Lucas Beltrán by Largie Ramazani
65’ 2T – Javi Guerra substituted for Arnaut Danjuma
66’ 2T – Dimitri Foulquier and Borja Iglesias off for César Tárrega and Jones El-Abdellaoui respectively, Bryan Zaragoza replaced by Hugo Álvarez
80’ 2T – José Copete out for Diego López, Javier Rodríguez replaced by Manu Fernandez, and Pablo Duran out for Iago Aspas
Cautions for Valencia:
53’ 2T – Hugo Duro (Unsporting Behavior), 61’ 2T – Largie Ramazani (Unsporting Behavior), 74’ 2T – José Copete (Unsporting Behavior)