Celta fulfilled its objective tonight in the small Maracaná in Belgrade against Red Star. The 1-1 came to Claudio Giráldez’s team to finish sixteenth in the league phase of the Europa League and play the second leg of the playoff prior to the round of 16 against PAOK or Lille in Balaídos. The Galicians found it almost impossible to enter the top-8 —the positions that avoided the extra eliminatory—, where they would not have accessed even with a victory in the Serbian capital. In the end, the great goal from Fer López, the pearl of the celestial quarry who has just returned to Vigo on loan after a few unfortunate months in the almost relegated Wolverhampton, earned the Vigo team a tie after Bruno Duarte equalized the match in the last minute.
1
and Adem Avdic (Adem Avdic, min. 49), Rodrig, Milos Velgkovic, Rade Crunik, Country Vaslige, Nikola, Nikola, Nikola. Stankovic (Milson, min. 78) and Marko Arnautovic
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Ionut Radu, Yoel Lago (Mihailo Ristic, min. 82), Marcos Alonso, Javi Rodríguez, Sergio Carreira, Ilaix Moriba, Javi Rueda (Óscar Mingueza, min. 82), Miguel Román, Hugo Álvarez (Bryan Zaragoza, min. 68), Iago Aspas (Fer López, min. 61) y Borja Iglesias (Ferran Jutglà, min. 61)
Goals
0-1 min. 86: Fer Lopez. 1-1 min. 88: Bruno Duarte
Referee Andrea Colombo
yellow cards
Miguel Román (min. 34), Rade Krunic (min. 41), Vladimir Lucic (min. 72)
The O Porriño coach found out throughout this Thursday that he could not count on Starfelt due to gastroenteritis and that Fer López was available for the game. Giráldez chose Yoel Lago to replace the loss of the Swedish center back and left the talented playmaker on the bench to start. Aspas, Hugo Álvarez and Borja Iglesias formed the attacking trident, with Ilaix and the young Miguel Román in the engine room. The Galicians’ staging was pure survival: Red Star put a lot of pressure on the construction of the game and the Vigo team had a hard time putting it together. Rodrigão gave the first warning when he headed a lateral free kick very weakly in a comfortable position.
The team led by Dejan Stankovic, the coach who replaced Vladan Milojevic during the winter break in the Serbian Super League, stung in every contact and hampered Celta’s circulation. Katai was the Red Star footballer with the greatest ability to illuminate free spaces. The Balkan veteran dropped again and again in the left sector. From there he assisted Arnautovic to score the first goal after a robbery against Javi Rodríguez in which he put his arm on the defender’s back. The Italian referee Andrea Colombo saw the action from a few meters away but did not signal a foul until the VAR asked him to review the play. Ten minutes later, the Serbian illuminated a pass into space for his teammate to once again beat Radu after a fantastic maneuver in which he controlled with his right and finished with a lob with his left foot. The goal did not go up the scoreboard because Arnautovic had started offside by centimeters.
Celta reacted to the scares with two scratches from Borja Iglesias after two impressive rides from Javi Rueda. The Malaga winger first stole the ball from Tiknizyan and advanced towards the area, but Matheus saved the shot with the Panda’s first touch. The play was repeated a few minutes later, when the striker finished off the post.
Before the break, the match entered a leaden phase of many inaccuracies in which nothing happened while the players slipped again and again on the grass of the small Maracana in Belgrade. Giráldez’s team came out of the locker room improved and immediately found themselves with a clear opportunity. Rueda once again beat Tiknizyan but gave a too-long pass to Borja for him to finish on goal.
Celta grew little by little, but especially when Fer López entered the field for Iago Aspas. The youth player, who went against his will to the Premier League in the summer and who returned this January after dropping out despite having much more substantial options, gave verticality to the game with his ability to lead and filter interior passes. He showed his most expansive version, which suggests that behind this 21-year-old boy hides a great player who dominates all registers, from the combination in small spaces to impressive power when a meadow opens up before him on the horizon. The midfielder filtered a pass in which he put Rueda in flight in an action in which Jutglá missed the shot from point-blank range when he only had to put it inside. Then he signed his work of art from the front: a great goal into the top corner in which he hit the ball with the outside of his left foot.
The joy lasted only two minutes for Celta, who got lost and let Bruno Duarte beat Radu in one-on-one. The tie was enough for the playoff Before the round of 16 it is decided under the shelter of Balaídos and with Fer López already in the locker room.
