Celta came away with a draw in their visit to Rayo Vallecano on Matchday 5 of LaLiga EA SPORTS. A goal from Borja Iglesias in the 49th minute gave the Sky Blues the lead, but a strike from De Frutos in the 65th denied them victory. Thus, Claudio Giráldez’s side picked up their fifth consecutive draw in a match where, despite not winning, they left a good impression.
The game began with Celta taking the initiative, showing clear dominance in the opening stages. The mobility of Bryan Zaragoza and the presence of Borja Iglesias leading the attack created the most dangerous chances, although none were converted into goals. Rayo, for their part, also had their moments, particularly with a couple of plays that tested the Sky Blue defense. Even so, the first half was characterized by an exchange of possession, with both teams creating a few chances, but the scoreboard remained unchanged.
After the break, Rayo began pressing, and within just a few minutes generated more danger than in the entire first half. However, Celta struck first. In the 49th minute, Borja Iglesias capitalized on a corner kick to put his team ahead. The Sky Blue lead did not last long, and in the 65th minute, after losing the ball while building from the back, De Frutos took advantage of a defensive error to level the match. From then on, Celta looked a bit more vulnerable and Giráldez’s team came under heavy pressure, but they held off the rival’s attacks, even having a clear chance to win through Jutglá, who unfortunately was denied by Batalla.
Despite the result, the match leaves a positive feeling due to the team’s performance away from home. The Sky Blues continue to show that, far from Abanca Balaídos, they remain competitive and are able to maintain balance. Now, they focus on next Thursday, when they will make their European competition debut against Stuttgart. As for LaLiga EA SPORTS, the team will return on Sunday the 28th to face Elche at the Martínez Valero.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
1 – Rayo Vallecano: Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Ciss, ‘Pacha’ Espino (Pep Chavarría, m.60); Óscar Valentín, Pedro Díaz (Unai López, m.90), Isi (Balliu, m.68), Álvaro García; De Frutos (Becerra, m.90) and Sergio Camello (Alemano, m.60).
1 – Celta: Radu; Manuel Fernández, Yoel Lago, Ristic (Starfelt, m.79), Sergio Carreira; Javi Rueda (Mingueza, m.60), Hugo Álvarez (Durán, m.60), Fran Beltrán, Hugo Sotelo (Moriba, m.71); Bryan Zaragoza (Jutglá, m.79) and Borja Iglesias.
Goals: 0-1, m.49: Borja Iglesias. 1-1, m.65: De Frutos.
Referee: García Verdura (Catalan committee). Booked Isi (40’) for Rayo and Javi Rueda (55’) for Celta.
Match incidents: Match corresponding to Matchday 5 of LALIGA EA SPORTS, played at the Estadio de Vallecas in front of around 14,000 spectators.
