After a rainy morning in Vigo, the afternoon cleared at Abanca Balaídos to witness a hard-fought victory against Elche CF (3–1), keeping Celta in the race for European football. On an unusual Mother’s Day, the sky-blue side delivered the perfect gift for the fans: three points and a win full of character, earned thanks to goals from Hugo Álvarez, Iago Aspas, and Borja Iglesias.
The match began with Elche well organized and intent on taking control of possession, but Celta patiently waited for their moment and struck decisively on their first major chance. In the 13th minute, Hugo Álvarez capitalized on a turnover in the opposition half, drove into the box, and finished with precision to make it 1–0.
Far from settling for the lead, the sky-blues kept up their intensity and extended their advantage before the half-hour mark. Iago Aspas, on a special afternoon as he reached 400 appearances in La Liga, finished with quality to make it 2–0 in the 29th minute and put the game on track before halftime.
After the break, the team from Elche stepped forward and tried to get back into the match, eventually being rewarded when André Silva converted a penalty in the 81st minute to narrow the gap. However, the visitors’ response barely unsettled a composed Celta side, who reacted with character and sealed the contest just three minutes later. A fine team move finished by Borja Iglesias allowed the striker to score the decisive 3–1.
A highly valuable victory to keep dreaming of Europe, offered as a gift to all those mothers who pass down their passion for these colors from generation to generation. Now, Claudio Giráldez’s side turn their attention to their next league fixture against Atlético de Madrid, aiming to maintain their strong form during this decisive stretch of the season.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
3 – Celta: Andrei Radu; Javi Rodríguez, Yoel Lago, Álvaro Núñez (Óscar Mingueza, min. 78); Javi Rueda (Manu Fernández, min. 46), Fer López, Ilaix Moriba, Sergio Carreira; Iago Aspas (J. El-Abdellaoui, min. 63), Hugo Álvarez (Williot Swedberg, min. 71) and Ferran Jutglà (Borja Iglesias, min. 71).
1 – Elche CF: Dituro; Chetauya, Affengruber (Víctor Chust, min. 58), Bigas; Tete Morente (Héctor Fort, min. 69), Aguado (L. Cepeda, min. 77), Febas, Villar (Marc Neto, min. 58), Pedrosa (Josan, min. 69); Álvaro Rodríguez and André Silva.
Goals: 1-0, min. 14: Hugo Álvarez; 2-0, min. 30: Iago Aspas; 2-1, min. 82: André Silva; 3-1, min. 85: Borja Iglesias.
Referee: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea (Basque refereeing committee). He showed yellow cards to Javi Rueda (41st minute) and Yoel Lago (83rd minute) for Celta, and to Gonzalo Villar (28th minute) for Elche.
Incidents: Match corresponding to Matchday 34 of LaLiga EA Sports, played at Abanca Balaídos in front of 15,401 spectators. During halftime, tribute was paid to the Juvenil A, Juvenil B, and As Celtas Sporting teams in recognition of the outstanding season achieved by all the teams in their respective categories.
