Celta came away with no reward in a match in which they deserved more. This time, it was Vitória de Guimarães who took the win at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, in a match in which the Celta got off to a blistering start.
Claudio Giráldez’s approach to this sixth friendly of the 25/26 preseason included a major surprise in midfield: the trio of Iago Aspas, Fran Beltrán, and Miguel Román, who burst onto the pitch like a cyclone. And they revolutionized the game, as the first half-hour saw a flurry of clear chances for the Celta, who were hampered by their lack of punch. There were as many as half a dozen opportunities, including one that bordered on epic. O Rei das Bateas, on the day he blew out his 38th birthday, once again delighted us with a masterpiece worthy of someone who has been baptized with a magic wand. Iago Aspas collected a ball in midfield and, after seeing the opposing goalkeeper out of position, sent a chip from more than 50 yards out that crashed against the crossbar, leaving us all stunned. A masterful piece of play that, had it ended in a goal, would have been a perfect birthday present.
But fortune was already warning us that it was not on the sky-blue’ side, when a defensive error early in the second half condemned Celta and allowed Vitória to score the only goal of the game. From then on, Claudio Giráldez’s team tried everything, but ran into Charles Silva’s wall.
With preseason heading into the final stretch, Celta has just one more match left to call it a day. It will be next Saturday, August 9th at 4:00 PM, against Wolves at Molineux Stadium. It’s the last match before the start of a new and demanding EA Sports LaLiga campaign.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Vitória de Guimarães: Charles Silva, Miguel Maga, Miguel Nóbrega, Tomas Handel, Tiago Silva, Gustavo Silva, Joao Mendes, Oumar Camara, Vando Félix, Borevkovic and Nuno Santos. Also play: João Fernandes, Paulo Vitor, Orest Lebedenko, Diogo Sousa, Matija Mitrović, Rodrigo Duarte, Fabio Blanco, Telmo Arcanjo, José Bica and Nélson Oliveira.
Celta: Andrei Radu; Starfelt, Carlos Domínguez, Mihailo Ristic, Javi Rueda, Fran Beltrán, Miguel Román, Sergio Carreira; Iago Aspas, Williot Swedberg and Pablo Durán. Also play: Jones El-Abdellaoui, Manu Fernández, Hugo Álvarez, Ferran Jutglà, Marcos Alonso, Damián, Óscar Mingueza, Ilaix Moriba, Hugo Sotelo and Yoel Lago.
Goal: 1-0 Oumar Camara, min. 50.
Referee: Joâo Pinheiro.
