In Balaídos, Celta warned very early, with a triangulation of Aspas and Mina that disrupted the axis of Espanyol’s defense when the clock barely indicated the second minute of the match. Confident in their lead, blus’s players relaxed and focused more on defending the lead than increasing it. Vicente Moreno’s intentions, however, did not change at all. The Celta, led by Aspas and Brais, accumulated a lot of cash inside to generate superiority in a central area where Espanyol only pursued shadows. The threat of Vigo was constant throughout the first half, although they only generated a shot between the three posts, the goal.
The white-and-blues did not know how to create or destroy. Darder and Melendo were shadows in the middle of the lost field and only Pedrosa, who tried some interceptions by his lane, generated some defensive imbalance in the premises. The inability to complete more than three consecutive passes made the job much easier for a Celta who did not need to press the accelerator to play for pleasure. The second half started just like the first, with a goal from Celta, this time from Aspas in the second minute. A new slap in the face for a Spaniard who did not know how to react. The white-and-blues fit the third in a defensive blast punished by Denis. Loren, with a goal from almost the middle of the field, closed one night to forget the added time. It’s Espanyol’s groundhog day at home.
