Celta secured their first victory of this Europa League campaign at Celtic Park. They achieved this in one of European football’s most historic venues, fueled by a brace from Javi Rodríguez, who opened his goalscoring account in the competition, and the vocal support of over 3,000 sky-blue supporters who made the trip to Glasgow. It was a night to remember, one in which talent by A Madroa once again dazzled on the European stage.
Claudio Giráldez’s side took the initiative from the start, controlling possession and searching for openings against a well-organized Celtic team. Despite their superiority, Celta struggled to carve out clear-cut chances, and the match became more difficult after the break when Baur put the Scottish side ahead with a strike from the edge of the box.
The team had to show patience, battle against the tide, and step up. That was when Javi Rodríguez stepped forward. The academy product leveled the score with a powerful header, connecting with a magnificent cross from Hugo Álvarez. The goal marked his first in Europe and brought Celta back into the contest. But Javi wasn’t finished yet; just three minutes later, he turned the match on its head, collecting the ball at the edge of the penalty area and firing it into the back of the net.
Celta continued to dominate and could have extended their lead before the final minutes, during which Celtic pushed for an equalizer through crosses from the flanks, all of which were handled comfortably by Radu.
The final whistle sparked in the section of Celtic Park occupied by the sky-blue fans, where more than 3,000 supporters celebrated the reward for their massive turnout, the largest away following in Celta’s history for a group-stage match. These fans were able to celebrate the team’s first Europa League win of the season, a victory that underscored the immense value of the talent developed at A Madroa, highlighted by Javi Rodríguez’s goals and the debut of Andrés Antañón in the competition. A night to remember, in which Celta and its supporters, facing one of the historic names in European football, conquered Glasgow.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
1 – Celtic FC: Johnstone; Donovan, Murray, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Baur (Tounekti, min. 79); Haissem Hassan (Hogh, min. 73), Nygren, Osmand (Forrest, min. 58); and Camilo Durán (Sorensen, min. 79).
2 – Celta: Radu; Javi Rodríguez, Sebastián Cáceres, Marcos Alonso; Javi Rueda (Andrés Antañón, min. 85), Aleix Febas, Hugo Burcio (Ilaix Moriba, min. 63), Sergio Carreira; Iago Aspas (Williot Swedberg, min. 63), Hugo Álvarez (Javi Galán, min. 85) and Ferran Jutglá (Pablo Durán, min. 77).
Goals: 1-0, min. 47: Baur. 1-1, min. 68: Javi Rodríguez; 1-2, min. 71: Javi Rodríguez.
Referee: Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria). For Celtic, the following were shown yellow cards: Camilo Durán (23rd minute), manager Martin O’Neill (67th minute), Scales (85th minute), Sorensen (88th minute), and Donovan (91st minute).
More details: A fixture from the third round of the UEFA Europa League group stage, played at Celtic Park in front of more than 3,000 visiting Celtic fans.
