RC Celta drew at Abanca Balaídos against Girona FC in the eighth round of LALIGA EA SPORTS.
A very special match that began with a tribute to Iago Aspas for his 500 official matches with the club, so all his teammates jumped onto the field with a commemorative shirt, as well as a large tifo was deployed in the stands. It was Marián Mouriño, president of RC Celta, the one in charge of giving that same shirt to the sky blue captain, before the warm ovation that the whole Abanca Balaídos stadium dedicated to him at that moment.
Then, a frenetic match began, in which any of the two teams could have won. Claudio Giráldez’s team had the first dangerous action just two minutes after the start. It was a side free kick where Carlos Domínguez’s shot went too high. This was the first warning from the Celta, who continued to press Gazzaniga’s goal and increased the intensity of the match at a frenetic pace. In the 26th minute, Borja Iglesias took a bicycle kick from his sleeve, from the penalty spot, to surprise the Argentine goalkeeper but, finally, the shot went wide. Celta continued pressing high and bothering Míchel’s team. It would be in the 38th minute, when Yangel Herrera would take advantage of a cross from Daley Blind to put Girona FC ahead on the scoreboard.
The goal on the stroke of halftime threw the sky blue team off balance, but they kept up their intensity in the second half, in which they again continued to generate danger. A technical demonstration by Hugo Álvarez, five minutes after entering the field, in a dribble to Francés on the back line that generated the applause of the entire stand. In the 64th minute, Pablo Durán had the chance to get into the area but his shot finally went wide. The final stages of the match were approaching, to the despair of the sky-blues, who could not break the red and white defense. But it would be in the 81st minute, when a masterful play by Iago Aspas, which he himself started and finished off, would equalize the match. A goal with which the Celta captain becomes the twentieth top scorer in the history of Laliga. With the tie on the scoreboard, the last minutes were thrilling with continuous unsuccessful attacks on both goals until the final whistle.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
1 – RC Celta: Vicente Guaita, Sergio Carreira (Hugo Álvarez min.46), Javi Rodríguez, Carlos Domínguez, Marcos Alonso, Óscar Mingueza, Damián Rodríguez, Ilaix Moriba (Hugo Sotelo min.65), Alfon (Williot Swedberg min.58), Pablo Durán (Iago Aspas min.65) and Borja Iglesias (Tasos Douvikas min.58).
1 – Girona FC: Gazzaniga, Frances, Krejci, Blind (David Lopez min.54), Miguel Gutierrez, Oriol Romeu (Van de Beek min.14), Ivan Martin, Yangel Herrera (Solis min.72), Tsygankov, Danjuma (Bryan Gil min.72) and Abel Ruiz (Portu min.72).
Goals: 0-1, Yangel Herrera, min.38; 1-1, Iago Aspas, min. 81.
Referee: De Burgos Bengoetxea (Biscayan Committee). Yellow card for Hugo Álvarez (min.78).
Incidents: Match corresponding to the eighth round of LALIGA EA SPORTS, played at the Abanca Balaídos stadium in front of 21,347 spectators.
