Celta failed to pick up any points on their visit to the Manuel Martínez Valero stadium, where they lost 2-1 to Elche CF, who imposed their will in the second half as the sky-blue team were unable to maintain the level they had shown in the first 45 minutes.
Claudio Giráldez’s side took to the pitch with courage, introducing several tactical changes in an attempt to surprise their opponents. The result was a frenetic start in which the team created several dangerous chances, pressing high up the pitch and breaking quickly on the counterattack. The clearest chance fell to Miguel Román after an excellent assist from Óscar Mingueza, but his shot failed to find the target.
However, it was Elche who opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a goal from Andre da Silva. Far from letting their heads drop, Celta responded quickly thanks to a move in which Carlos Domínguez recovered the ball in a dangerous area and passed it to Ilaix Moriba, who assisted Borja Iglesias to equalise. The Celta striker continues his scoring streak and has now scored in five consecutive matches.
The match reached half-time with maximum intensity and balance, but after the break, the sky-blue team did not show the same face. Celta lost their attacking presence and were forced to retreat, holding off the pressure from an increasingly dominant Elche. These were difficult moments in which Andrei Radu took centre stage with several commendable saves, including one from the penalty spot that kept hope alive.
That resistance, however, was broken in the 68th minute when John pounced on a loose ball in the area to make it 2-1. Despite their efforts to get back on level terms, Giráldez’s side failed to create any clear chances in the final stages of the match.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
2 – Elche CF: Dituro; Álvaro Núñez, Áffengruber, Bigas (Chust, min. 73), Pedrosa (Pétrot, min. 72); Josan (Marc Aguado, min. 81), John Chetauya, Febas, Germán Valera; Rafa Mir (Diangana, min. 81) and André da Silva (Álvaro Rodríguez, min. 64).
1 – Celta: Radu, Yoel Lago (Iago Aspas, min. 73), Carlos Domínguez, Marcos Alonso (Manu Fernández, min. 83); Óscar Mingueza (Javi Rueda, min. 46), Miguel Román, Ilaix Moriba (Javi Rodríguez, min. 46), Hugo Álvarez; Bryan Zaragoza (Williot, min. 67), Hugo Sotelo and Borja Iglesias.
Goals: 1-0, min. 17: André da Silva. 1-1, min. 22: Borja Iglesias. 2-1, min. 68: John Chetauya.
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra (Balearic Committee). For Celta, Óscar Mingueza, Yoel Lago and Miguel Román were shown yellow cards. Meanwhile, Josan, Affengruber and Pedrosa were booked for Elche.
Incidents: Match corresponding to matchday 7 of LaLiga EA Sports played at the Manuel Martínez Valero stadium in front of 26,708 spectators. Before the match, a minute’s silence was held for the death of Manuel Abellot, former kit man for the Elche club.
