Celta delivered a European night to remember at the Groupama Stadium by overcoming Olympique de Lyon with a victory that seals their place in the Europa League quarter-finals. Goals from Javi Rueda and Ferran Jutglà secured a hard-fought triumph, celebrated by the thousands of Celta supporters present, in the club’s largest European away following, putting the finishing touch on a closely contested tie that was ultimately decided with authority on French soil.
The match started at a good pace, with the home team determined to impose their will, but the script changed following Moussa’s sending-off for a harsh challenge on Javi Rueda. With a numerical advantage, Celta remained calm, organized, and competitive, aware that the tie was still open after the draw at Abanca Balaídos. After the break, Claudio Giráldez’s side took control. With greater possession and presence in the opponent’s half, the Celestes gradually tilted the balance. Javi Rueda opened the scoring, and with Lyon forced to take risks, Ferran Jutglà sealed the win in a match where Celta managed the tempo, controlled the spaces, and secured a victory reflecting the team’s competitive maturity in Europe.
With this triumph, Celta enters the top eight of the tournament and is already eyeing their next opponent, SC Freiburg, with the advantage of playing the second leg at home. Before that, however, they must switch focus back to LaLiga, where the Celestes will host Deportivo Alavés at Balaídos, aiming to extend their good form and continue delighting their supporters.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
0 – Olympique de Lyon: Greif; Tagliafico, Niakhaté, Clinton Mata; Abner (Moreira, min 67), Nartey (Mangala, min 67), Morton (Fofana, min 81), Tolisso, Kango; Yaremchuk (Tessmann, min 46) and Endrick (Sulc, min 67).
2 Celta: Radu; Javi Rodríguez, Starfelt (Aidoo, min 46), Marcos Alonso; Javi Rueda, Moriba, Vecino (Sotelo, min 80), Carreira; Williot (Hugo Álvarez, min 46), Pablo Durán (Jutglá, min 57) and Fer López (Iago Aspas, min 57).
Goals: 0-1, min 60: Javi Rueda; 0-2, min 90+3: Jutglá.
Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia). Yellow cards were shown to Williot Swedberg, Carl Starfelt, Marcos Alonso, Javi Rueda, and Fer López. Niakhaté and Tagliafico were sent off.
Incidents: Return leg of the 2026 UEFA Europa League round of 16, played at the Groupama Stadium in front of 41,754 spectators.
