In an intense showdown at Mestalla, Valencia were defeated 3-2 by Celta, even with a standout performance from Guido Rodríguez, who netted two goals. The match showcased resilience from the team led by Claudio Giráldez, who bounced back from an early setback to secure the victory.
Celta opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the second half with a goal from Ilaix Moriba, quickly followed by Fer López finding the net just four minutes later. Williot Swedberg capped the comeback with a strike in the 80th minute, ensuring that Celta left the field victorious.
Guido Rodríguez kept the match lively with his goals at the 11th minute of the first half and again just after the break in the 47th minute, but it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat. Fer López’s goal, which energized the home crowd, followed a beautiful assist from Swedberg.
Ilaix Moriba was undoubtedly the player of the match, contributing not only a goal but also with 49 accurate passes, two ball recoveries, and two shots on target. Williot Swedberg was also pivotal, recording one goal, attempting two shots, and making 17 successful passes.
Valencia’s coach, Carlos Corberán, deployed a 4-3-3 formation: Stole Dimitrievski guarded the goal; Unai Núñez, Eray Cömert, César Tárrega, and José Luis Gayà formed the defense; while Javi Guerra, Guido Rodríguez, and André Almeida operated in midfield; with Luis Rioja, Hugo Duro, and Largie Ramazani leading the attack.
On the other hand, Claudio Giráldez’s side utilized a 5-2-3 setup with Ionut Radu in goal; Sergio Carreira, Javier Rodríguez, Joseph Aidoo, Marcos Alonso, and Óscar Mingueza in defense; Ilaix Moriba and Hugo Sotelo in the midfield; with Pablo Duran, Ferrán Jutglà, and Hugo Álvarez at the front.
The match referee was Iosu Galech Apezteguía.
Following this match, Valencia will face Elche in their upcoming fixture. Meanwhile, Celta will host Real Oviedo at home.
With the conclusion of this match, Valencia is left with 35 points, positioned 13th in the league table, while Celta now has 44 points, holding 6th place in the tournament.
Substitutions for Valencia
62’ 2T – Hugo Duro out for Umar Sadiq and Unai Núñez out for Filip Ugrinic.
63’ 2T – Javi Guerra out for Lucas Beltrán and André Almeida out for Thierry Correia.
77’ 2T – José Luis Gayà out for Arnaut Danjuma.
Yellow Cards for Valencia:
38’ 2T – Guido Rodríguez (Unsporting behavior).
Substitutions for Celta
45’ 2T – Javier Rodríguez out for Jones El-Abdellaoui, Hugo Álvarez out for Williot Swedberg, and Pablo Duran out for Fer López.
70’ 2T – Ferrán Jutglà out for Borja Iglesias.
88’ 2T – Óscar Mingueza out for Yoel Lago.
Yellow Cards for Celta:
43’ 1T – Javier Rodríguez (Unsporting behavior), 43’ 1T – Marcos Alonso (Unsporting behavior), and 25’ 2T – Hugo Sotelo (Unsporting behavior).