Celta Vigo 1-0 PAOK (3-1 agg)
Celta Vigo have booked their place in the next round of the Europa League as they sealed back-to-back wins over PAOK in their play-off tie clash, the latest of which came at Balaidos.
It was a nervy start to proceedings for the La Liga side, who should have been pegged back on aggregate in the 17th minute. Georgios Giakoumakis rose highest from a PAOK corner, but from close range, he should only steer his header off-target, much to the frustration of the visitors.
It was around that time that Celta started to take a foothold, as they sought to add to the advantage they built up in Greece last week. Claudio Giraldez’s side had a number of chances to score before the interval, but a combination of poor finishing and strong defending meant it remained goalless.
Fortunately for Celta, they managed to find the breakthrough just beyond the hour mark. Borja Iglesias cushioned a pass from Javi Rueda into the path of Williot Swedberg, who coolly slotted the ball into the far corner, out of the reach of PAOK goalkeeper Antonis Tsiftsis. The Swedish forward netted in the two previous meetings between the teams this season, and this goal made it three in a row.
PAOK sought a way back into the tie after that goal, but strong defending from Celta meant they managed only four shots across the 90 minutes. In the end, the home crowd inside Balaidos roared their team across the finish line, as they successfully achieved their goal of qualifying for the next round.
Celta will be back in Europa League action in a couple of weeks when the Round of 16 gets underway. They will find out their opponents on Friday, but it will be a stern test – either Lyon or Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will be up next for the Galicians.
