In a commanding display at the Estadio de Balaídos, Celta de Vigo defeated Valencia with a score of 4-1. The home side opened the scoring through Borja Iglesias, who converted a penalty in the 32nd minute and later scored again in the 58th minute. Additional goals came from Jones El-Abdellaoui in the 82nd minute and Hugo Álvarez in the 93rd minute. Valencia’s sole goal was netted by Pepelu in the 69th minute.
Despite enjoying 61% possession throughout the match, Valencia struggled to translate their dominance into meaningful chances. The visitors had an opportunity to take the lead early on when Pepelu missed a penalty in the 6th minute.
Borja Iglesias was undoubtedly the star of the match, not only scoring twice but also creating multiple scoring opportunities with three shots on target and completing 10 successful passes.
Hugo Álvarez was another standout player for Celta, contributing with a goal and making two attempts on goal.
Celta’s coach, Claudio Giráldez, deployed a 5-2-3 formation with Ionut Radu in goal and a defensive line consisting of Sergio Carreira, Javier Rodríguez, Joseph Aidoo, Marcos Alonso, and Óscar Mingueza. The midfield featured Miguel Román and Ilaix Moriba, while the attack was led by Williot Swedberg, Borja Iglesias, and Bryan Zaragoza.
Valencia, managed by Carlos Corberán, opted for a 5-3-2 setup, with Julen Agirrezabala in goal and a backline of Dimitri Foulquier, Mouctar Diakhaby, José Copete, Jesús Vázquez, and Thierry Correia. The midfield comprised Pepelu, Javi Guerra, and André Almeida, while the forwards were Hugo Duro and Lucas Beltrán.
Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea officiated the match.
Celta will next travel to Sevilla for their upcoming fixture, while Valencia will host Elche. This victory brings Celta up to 26 points, sitting in seventh place, while Valencia remains in 17th with 16 points.
Substitutions for Celta
- 26’ 1T – Williot Swedberg was replaced by Pablo Duran
Yellow Cards for Celta
- 78’ 2T – Javier Rodríguez (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Valencia
- 56’ 2T – Thierry Correia out for Luis Rioja, Lucas Beltrán out for Largie Ramazani
- 65’ 2T – Javi Guerra out for Arnaut Danjuma
- 66’ 2T – Dimitri Foulquier out for César Tárrega, Borja Iglesias out for Jones El-Abdellaoui, Bryan Zaragoza out for Hugo Álvarez
- 80’ 2T – José Copete out for Diego López, Javier Rodríguez out for Manu Fernandez, Pablo Duran out for Iago Aspas
Yellow Cards for Valencia
- 53’ 2T – Hugo Duro (Unsporting behavior)
- 61’ 2T – Largie Ramazani (Unsporting behavior)
- 74’ 2T – José Copete (Unsporting behavior)