Celta secured all three points at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán by defeating Sevilla FC 0-1 from the penalty spot. Thanks to a penalty converted by Marcos Alonso in the final minutes, the Celestes achieved a crucial victory that allows them to close the first half of the season firmly established in the upper part of the table.
The first half was marked by intensity and back-and-forth action. Celta, comfortable and confident away from Balaídos thanks to their strong away form, faced a rival with different objectives, driven by necessity but showing the same determination on the pitch. During the opening 45 minutes, there was rhythm, constant duels, and chances at both ends, but precision was lacking in the final meters. The opportunities failed to materialize, and halftime arrived with the score unchanged, leaving the impression that the match was wide open.
After the break, Sevilla dominated possession, but Celta reminded everyone that football isn’t measured by statistics, creating the most dangerous chances and turning every counterattack into a real threat. The Celta goalkeeper had little work to do, while the home keeper had to make several key saves against attempts from Williot Swedberg and a one-on-one from Ilaix Moriba that nearly opened the scoring. Minutes later, and far from dwelling on that missed chance, Ilaix returned to the spotlight and earned redemption in the form of a penalty, which Marcos Alonso calmly converted to seal the 0-1 victory.
Celta thus closes a remarkable first half of the season, with 29 points consolidating them in seventh place, and now looks ahead to their next match on Sunday, January 18, at 18:30. Claudio Giráldez’s side will once again open the doors of their home temple to host Rayo Vallecano, aiming to extend their five-game unbeaten streak and keep their European hopes alive.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
0 – Sevilla FC: Odysseas, Juanlu (Miguel Sierra, min. 83), Carmona, Gudelj, Kike Salas (Nianzou, min. 82), Oso, Agoumé, Mendy, Sow, Peque (Vargas, minuto 59 (Januzaj, min. 67) and Isaac (Alexis, min. 59).
- 1 – Celta: Radu, Rodríguez, Starfelt, Marcos Alonso, Miguel Román, Ilaix Moriba, El-Abdellaoui (Rueda, min. 67), Mingueza (Carreira, min. 90+1), Bryan Zaragoza (Hugo Álvarez, min. 67), Iago Aspas (Swedberg, min. 58) and Borja Iglesias (Pablo Durán, min. 58).
Goals: 0-1, min. 88: Marcos Alonso (p).
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez (Murcian referees’ board). He showed yellow cards to Ilaix Moriba, Óscar Mingueza, and Hugo Álvarez for the visitors, and to Juanlu and Mendy for the home side. Off the field, Celta coach Claudio Giráldez and Alberto Flores also received cards.
Incidents: Match of the nineteenth round of LALIGA EA SPORTS played at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium in front of 31,383 spectators.
