Celta were knocked out of the Copa del Rey after a long and highly competitive match against Albacete, which was once again decided by a penalty shootout. The Celestes managed to come back from the locals’ opening goal and even seemed to have the ticket in hand, but a goal in added time forced extra time, and later, a penalty shootout tipped the balance in favor of the Manchegos.
The first half was sluggish for the Vigo side, who struggled to create clear chances and find a rhythm with the ball. Albacete, more practical, took advantage of one of their attacks to go ahead in the 17th minute through Betancor. Celta tried without much clarity and went into halftime behind, feeling they needed more precision in the final third.
After the break, the team stepped up. A goal from Borja Iglesias was ruled out for offside, but their persistence paid off shortly after with a header from Yoel Lago following a corner from Miguel Román (1-1). Celta continued to believe and completed the comeback in the 75th minute with a brilliant goal from El Panda, who finished expertly after a measured cross from Óscar Mingueza. And just as the match seemed on track and the final seconds were approaching, Albacete pressed and found an equalizer through a header from Jesús Vallejo, sending the game into extra time.
In extra time, both teams had chances, with good saves from the goalkeepers, but the score remained unchanged. In the penalty shootout, Albacete were more accurate and secured their place in the next round, bringing Celta’s Copa journey this season to an end.
Now, the Celeste squad turns the page and focuses all their efforts on finishing the year in La Liga, with a visit to Carlos Tartiere to face Oviedo next Saturday at 14:00.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Albacete Balompié: Lizoain; Lorenzo (Fran Gámez, min. 95), Javi Moreno, Neva (Agus Medina, min. 81), Jogo; Valverde (Morci, min. 71), Javi Villar (Riki, min. 71), Capi (Jesús Vallejo, min. 58), Ale Meléndez; Eschiche and Jetfé (Puertas, min. 58).
Celta: Iván Villar; Javi Rodríguez, Yoel Lago (Carl Starfelt, min. 81), Mihailo Ristic (Manu Fernández, min. 46), Óscar Mingueza; Javi Rueda (Borja Iglesias, min. 46 – Ferran Jutglá, min. 95), Hugo Sotelo (Miguel Román, min. 46), Hugo Álvarez, Ilaix Moriba; Iago Aspas and Jones El-Abdellaoui (Williot Swedberg, min. 73).
Referee: José Luis Guzmán. He showed yellow cards to the home players Puertas and Escriche, and to the visiting players Javi Rueda and Yoel Lago.
Goals: 1-0, m. 17: Jefté; 1-1, m. 55: Joel Lago; 1-2, m. 64: Borja Iglesias; 2-2, m. 94: Jesús Vallejo.
Incidents: Round of 16 tie of the Copa del Rey, played as a single-leg match at the Carlos Belmonte in front of 12,106 spectators.
