Celta kicked off the 2016/27 season with a draw at Mestalla, in their last visit to a historic stadium that will cease to be Valencia’s home ground next season. Claudio Giráldez’s men maintained their focus on possession and grew into the game as the minutes ticked by, although they lacked the cutting edge to translate their dominance into clear-cut chances.
Aleix Febas and Javi Galán made their debuts in a starting eleven that also saw the return of Miguel Román to official competition. The Celta manager opted for long spells of possession and fluid passing to impose his rhythm against a more direct Valencia side, who constantly looked to exploit the space behind the defense. The home team found their best opportunities there, and Danjuma had the clearest chance of the first half, though he shot wide of Radu’s goal. Celta controlled the ball, but failed to convert that dominance into real danger.
The game changed after the break. Celta pushed forward, moved the ball with greater fluidity, and forced Valencia to retreat near their own area. Celta took control, but continued to lack precision in the final third. Their best chance came after a long passing move that ended with Williot Swedberg finding Marcos Alonso on the edge of the box, but his shot grazed the post.
In the final stages, Valencia regained some momentum, and Radu had to make a save from Guido Rodríguez to secure a draw, giving Celta their first points of the season. Next Thursday, August 27th at 8:30 PM, Celta will play their postponed first-round match against Osasuna at Abanca Balaídos.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
0 – Valencia CF: Dimitrievski; Jesús Vázquez, Tárrega, Pepelu, De Haas (Diakhaby, min. 46), Gayà (Maffeo, min. 69); Ugrinic, Guido Rodríguez, Ryunosuke Sato (Sadiq, min. 59); Javi Guerra and Danjuma (Hugo Duro, min. 82).
0 – Celta: Andrei Radu; Javi Rodríguez, Yoel Lago, Marcos Alonso; Javi Galán (Iago Aspas, min. 64), Miguel Román, Aleix Febas (Ilaix Moriba, min. 77), Sergio Carreira; Jones El-Abdellaoui (Javi Rueda, min. 64), Hugo Álvarez (Williot Swedberg, min. 57) and Ferran Jutglà (Pablo Durán, min. 64).
Referee: Jesús Gil (Extremadura Committee). For Celta, Sergio Carreira, Javi Rueda, and Andrei Radu were booked. For the home side, De Haas and Dimitrievski received yellow cards.
More information: Match corresponding to the second round of LaLiga EA Sports, played at the Mestalla Stadium before 43,684 spectators. A minute’s silence was observed in memory of Vicente Silla Alandi, former board member of Valencia, and the Valencia fans who passed away during the past season.
