Celta secured an important 2-1 victory at the Toumba Stadium against PAOK in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 32. The Vigo side left a strong impression in Greece, with a very solid start that allowed them to go into halftime with the lead thanks to goals from Iago Aspas and Williot Swedberg, although the Greek team pressed in the second half and reduced the deficit, keeping the tie alive for next week.
From the start, the Celeste side set the pace and were soon rewarded. In the 34th minute, Aspas appeared to open the scoring and ignite the Celeste spark, showcasing his European night experience after an exquisite backheel from Miguel Román. Just a few minutes later, Swedberg extended the lead with another goal, leaving PAOK reeling and Celta in control of the first half.
After the break, the match became more balanced. The home team reacted with intensity, pushed on by a lively crowd seeking a result to keep them in the tie. The pressure paid off in the 77th minute when Alexander Jeremejeff pulled a goal back, restoring tension to the match. Even so, Celta managed the final minutes with composure to secure the win.
With this result, Claudio Giráldez’s men return to Vigo with a valuable, though narrow, advantage that they will need to defend next week at Abanca Balaídos in the second leg. The away victory opens the door, but it will be at home, with the support of the Celta fans, where the team will look to seal their place in the round of 16 in a European night full of hope and excitement.
FICHA TÉCNICA:
1 – PAOK: Tsiftsis; Kenny, Vogliacco (Michailidis, min.67), Lovren, Taylor (Baba, min.67), Camara (Chatsidis, min.67), Ozdoev, Zivkovic, Zafeiris, Taison; Jeremejeff.
2 – Celta: Radu; Javi Rodríguez, Starfelt, Marcos Alonso, Carreira, Moriba, Miguel Román (Vecino, min.86), Mingueza (Javi Rueda, min.61), Aspas (Fer López, min.65), Williot (Hugo Álvarez, min.65) and Borja Iglesias (Jutglà, min.61).
Goals: 0-1, min.34: Aspas; 0-2, min.42: Williot; 1-2, min.77: Jeremejeff.
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (Slovak). He booked the home player Zivkovic (89th minute) and the visitors Hugo Álvarez (67th minute) and Javi Rueda (72nd minute).
Incidents: First leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 32 played at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki in front of 28,000 spectators.
