Celta took a point from Son Moix on their 102nd anniversary with a well-organised team that left a very good impression on the pitch.
It was a very special day for the whole club, and the players showed it as soon as they took to the field. Claudio Giráldez opted for a starting eleven full of changes against RCD Mallorca, with six new faces compared to the first matchday. Among them was Manu Fernández, who made his official debut with the first team in Mallorca, continuing a Celta tradition and highlighting a sense of heritage that has been passed down from his grandfather and father and is now being defended by the young academy player in the top flight.
With the ball rolling on the pitch, both teams showed their intensity and shared dominance and chances. Ilaix Moriba had a clear opportunity from outside the area, sending a powerful shot that forced Leo Román to make a great save to deflect it. As the first half drew to a close, Javi Rueda, making his debut as a starter, finished off a measured pass from Hugo Sotelo with class. After a great counterattack, the Malaga-born player chipped the ball from the edge of the box and scored his first goal in the first division.
In the second half, Claudio Giráldez’s men held up well against the pressure from a wounded Mallorca side who kept pushing with crosses from the wings but couldn’t find a way through the Celta defence. Celta stuck to their game plan and looked comfortable, sitting back and even creating chances to seal the match. The clearest chance fell to Fran Beltrán, who, having just come on, led a counterattack but was unable to finish with precision against Leo Román. And what Celta failed to finish off, their opponents punished, as a few seconds later, Mateu Jaume picked up a loose ball in the Celta area and levelled the score.
Good vibes and a very positive assessment of Claudio Giráldez’s team’s first away game of the season. Now back in Vigo, the team is preparing to host Betis on Wednesday 27 August at 9 p.m. at Abanca Balaídos, where they will play their sixth match, brought forward due to the UEFA calendar.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
1 – RCD Mallorca: Leo Román, Mateu Jaume, Martin Valjent, Antonio Raíllo, Johan Mojica, Omar Macsarell (Dani Rodríguez, min. 68), Antonio Sánchez (Marash Kumbulla, min. 46), Pablo Torre (Jan Salas, min. 82), Sergi Darder, Takuma Asano (Marc Doménech, min. 68) and Mateo Joseph (Abdón Prats, min. 68).
1 – Celta: Andrei Radu, Marcos Alonso, Carlos Domínguez, Manu Fernández (Javi Rodríguez, min. 63), Javi Rueda, Hugo Sotelo (Fran Beltrán, min. 63), Ilaix Moriba, Sergio Carreira, Iago Aspas (Williot Swedberg, min. 63), Ferran Jutglà (Borja Iglesias, min. 73) and Pablo Durán (Bryan Zaragoza, min. 90).
Goals: Javi Rueda (0-1, min. 38) and Mateu Morey (1-1, min. 88)
Referee: Jose Luis Guzmán Mansilla. For Celta, Hugo Sotelo (min. 72) and Carlos Domínguez (min. 75) were shown yellow cards. Meanwhile, for the opposing team, Antonio Sánchez (min. 14), Takuma Asano (min. 51) and Omar Mascarell (min. 56) were shown yellow cards too.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the second day of Laliga EA Sports played at the Son Moix Stadium in front of 16,274 spectators.
