Celta extended their love affair with Abanca Balaídos by defeating Rayo Vallecano 3-0 in a match that was more competitive than the scoreline suggests. Rayo arrived in Vigo as the team to beat at the start of the second half of the season, and despite the victory, the match was highly demanding and evenly contested.
For periods in the first half, Íñigo Pérez’s side took the initiative and created the clearest chances. However, just when Celta were under the most pressure, the decisive blow arrived. Hugo Álvarez started a solo run down the right flank, creating space for Sergio Carreira to finish inside the box and put the sky-blues ahead just before halftime.
The script was repeated after the break. Rayo Vallecano returned to the pitch determined to find an equalizer, but they were met by Celta’s resolute defense. A counter-attack led by Bryan Zaragoza ended in a penalty, which the Andalusian himself converted to make it 2-0, a blow from which Rayo Vallecano never recovered. The subsequent sending-off of Mendy, after a very hard tackle on Williot, effectively ended the game.
With space and a numerical advantage, Celta sealed the victory on the counter-attack. Javi Rueda added the finishing touch with the third goal, culminating a collective performance that once again highlighted the solidity of a team that has made Abanca Balaídos a true fortress at the start of 2026. Also noteworthy was the first-team debut of Hugo Burcio; the young academy player came onto the pitch and played at a very high level in what would be his first minutes in the top flight of Spanish football.
In this way, Claudio Giráldez’s team secured their third consecutive victory at home and have now scored points in their sixth consecutive LaLiga match, confirming the excellent form of the sky-blue team who, this same week, return to European competition by hosting LOSC Lille at Abanca Balaídos on Thursday, January 22 at 9:00 p.m.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Celta: Radu; Javi Rodríguez (Manu Fernández, min. 71), Carl Starfelt (Hugo Burcio, min. 82), Marcos Alonso; Óscar Mingueza (Javi Rueda, min. 71), Ilaix Moriba, Hugo Sotelo (Miguel Román, min. 63), Sergio Carreira; Bryan Zaragoza, Hugo Álvarez (Williot Swedberg, min. 62) and Pablo Durán.
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla; Pacha Espino (Alemão, min. 61), Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarría; Pedro Díaz, Gumbau (Nteka, min. 61), Isi Palazón (min .78); De Frutos (Trejo, min. 78), Álvaro and Carlos Martín (Vertrouwd, min. 68).
Goals: 1-0, min. 40: Sergio Carreira; 2-0, min. 53: Bryan Zaragoza (p); 3-0, min. 79: Javi Rueda.
Referee: Mateo Busquets (Balearic Committee). For Celta Vigo, Hugo Álvarez (min. 43), Hugo Sotelo (min. 59), Iago Aspas (min. 65), and Óscar Mingueza (min. 65) were shown yellow cards. For Rayo Vallecano, Mendy was sent off with a straight red card in the 66th minute. Gumbau (min. 58) and Carlos Martín (min. 59) also received yellow cards.
Incidents: 20,835 at Abanca Balaídos for the LaLiga EA Sports Matchday 20.
