Celta Vigo endured a heavy 3-0 defeat away to Rayo Vallecano on matchday 11 of LaLiga EA Sports. Goals from Jorge De Frutos, twice, and Unai López secured the home win in a match that leaves the sky-blue team with a record of two wins, six draws and two losses after ten games.
The match, played on Saturday afternoon at Vallecas under clear skies, highlighted Celta's difficulties in containing the Madrid side. Rayo Vallecano, with 52% possession and 435 completed passes, controlled the tempo and found gaps in the three-centre-back defence deployed by Celta's coach. Ionut Andrei Radu made six saves and the defence registered 21 clearances, but it was not enough to prevent the three goals. Celta, for their part, had 48% possession, completed 402 passes, and generated 10 shooting opportunities, though only two of them were on target. The team managed by Claudio Giráldez took 13 shots, but only three required intervention from the Rayo goalkeeper, Stole Dimitrievski.
Breakdown of the goals
The first goal arrived in the 36th minute. Sergio Camello found Jorge De Frutos inside the area and the winger finished with precision. The same De Frutos extended the lead in the 55th, capitalising on a pass from Andrei Rațiu. Unai López sealed the result in the 73rd minute after an assist from Gnangoro Bouare. Celta, who made six substitutions including the introduction of Iago Aspas for Javi Galán, failed to create clear-cut chances. Aspas, the club's all-time top scorer, was unable to connect with a single shot on target during his time on the pitch.
This result breaks a recent positive streak for Celta Vigo, who arrived at Vallecas with two wins, one draw and two losses in their last five matches across all competitions. In LaLiga, the team had drawn 0-0 with Real Betis at Balaídos. The defeat to Rayo, however, does not change their position in the standings, where they remain in ninth place with 12 points, 15 behind leaders Barcelona. Rayo Vallecano, with this victory, climbs to tenth place with 11 points.
The team now faces the international break before hosting Levante on November 8. The Valencia-based side currently sits in 15th place, making the match at Balaídos an opportunity to regain momentum. Celta have several key absences in their squad, including Borja Iglesias, Carl Starfelt and Álvaro Núñez, which complicates the manager's options for the next league fixture. Swedish forward Williot Swedberg also missed the match at Vallecas due to a muscle issue, adding to the list of absentees.
The report in full is at La Vanguardia Deportes
