In a captivating showdown on matchday 24 of La Liga, Celta and Espanyol played to an exciting 2-2 draw.
The match saw plenty of scoring opportunities for both teams, but it was Espanyol who felt a bittersweet taste after the final whistle. After taking a lead of 2-1 with goals from Kike García (21’ 2T) and Tyrhys Dolan (40’ 2T), Celta managed to level the match thanks to a strike from Borja Iglesias (47’ 2T). Espanyol’s opening goal came from Ferrán Jutglà in the 37th minute of the first half.
Borja Iglesias was undoubtedly the standout player of the match. The Celta forward demonstrated his skills by scoring one goal, recording four shots on goal, and completing 14 successful passes.
Kike García also shone for Espanyol, finding the net once and completing five successful passes.
Espanyol’s coach, José González Álvarez, deployed a 4-5-1 formation with Marko Dmitrovic in goal; Omar el Hilali, Clemens Riedel, Leandro Cabrera, and Carlos Romero in defense; Charles Pickel, Pol Lozano, Cyril Ngongé, Edu Expósito, and Pere Milla in midfield; and Roberto Fernández leading the attack.
On the other hand, Claudio Giráldez’s side opted for a 3-4-3 setup, placing Ionut Radu between the sticks; Javier Rodríguez, Carl Starfelt, and Marcos Alonso in the back line; Sergio Carreira, Miguel Román, Fer López, and Javi Rueda in the center of the pitch; and Ferrán Jutglà, Borja Iglesias, and Williot Swedberg in the forward positions.
The match was officiated by referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernández at the Cornellá-El Prat Stadium.
In their next fixture, Espanyol will face Atlético de Madrid away, while Celta will host Mallorca. With this result, the home team accumulates 35 points, currently sitting in sixth place, while Espanyol has 34 points and is in seventh place.
Substitutions for Espanyol
55’ 2T – Edu Expósito for Urko Gonzalez, Cyril Ngongé for Kike García, Charles Pickel for Tyrhys Dolan
71’ 2T – Pere Milla for Jofre Carreras
82’ 2T – Roberto Fernández for Ramón Terrats
Yellow Card for Espanyol:
48’ 2T – Leandro Cabrera (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Celta
69’ 2T – Ferrán Jutglà for Ilaix Moriba, Williot Swedberg for Pablo Duran, Javi Rueda for Óscar Mingueza
86’ 2T – Javier Rodríguez for Iago Aspas
87’ 2T – Miguel Román for Matías Vecino