Celta lost by the narrowest of margins at Abanca Balaídos in a match in which neither the sky blue nor Espanyol managed to create many dangerous chances.
With a revamped starting eleven and a return to a 3-4-3 formation, Claudio Giráldez’s men went from strength to strength, sharing control of the game. In the first half, Iago Aspas appeared between the lines to create the best attacking moves, Borja Iglesias provoked an action that VAR ended up ruling out for offside, and Bryan Zaragoza came close to scoring with a right-footed shot that grazed the post.
Meanwhile, in the second half, the team grew in confidence and managed to increase their dominance, although substitutions ended up altering the flow of the game. Espanyol, on the other hand, increased their intensity in the final minutes and, in a strategic move, Kike García decided the game with a header in the 86th minute. It was a blow that Celta tried to react to by creating two chances to equalize, but without luck.
Now, the team is focused on a very demanding week ahead. On Thursday, December 4, at 9:00 p.m., the Sky Blues will play the second round of the Copa del Rey against San Andreu. Then, on Sunday, December 7, at 9:00 p.m., they will face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
0 – Celta: Radu; Javi Rodríguez, Carl Starfelt, Marcos Alonso; Javi Rueda (Jones, min. 69), Miguel Román (Ferran Jutglá, min. 87), Fran Beltrán (Pablo Durán, min. 79), Sergio Carreira; Iago Aspas (Ilaix Moriba, min. 69), Bryan Zaragoza and Borja Iglesias (Williot Swedberg, min. 79).
1 – Espanyol: Dmitrovic; Omar El Hilali, Calero, (Riedel, min. 76) Cabrera, Romero; Terrats (Kike García, min. 59), Urko, Pol Lozano; Dolan (Salinas, min. 90), Pere Milla (Jofre, min. 76) and Roberto Fernández (Expósito, min. 76).
Goal: 0-1, min. 86: Kike García.
Referee: Isidro Díaz de Mera (Castilla-La Mancha Committee). He booked Ferran Jutglá from Celta and Urko and Romero from RCD Espanyol.
Incidents: Match corresponding to matchday 14 of Laliga EA Sports played at Abanca Balaídos in front of 20,031 spectators.
