Celta Vigo started their UEFA Europa League group stage campaign with a 1-0 defeat away to Omonia on Tuesday. The decisive goal came in the closing minutes of the match, dashing the Spanish side's hopes of taking points from their continental opener.
The game, played at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, remained tight for large periods. Both defences held firm, limiting clear-cut chances. Celta tried to control possession but failed to translate their dominance onto the scoreboard, lacking precision in the final third.
Late strike decides it
The deadlock was broken as the match approached its conclusion. Omonia capitalised on a defensive error from Celta to score the game's only goal. It was a harsh blow for Claudio Giráldez's side, who saw the points slip away at the death.
After the match, the Celta manager acknowledged the difficulty of the result. "It's a very bitter defeat because the team worked and competed well for almost the entire game," Giráldez explained. He added that the team must learn quickly from this setback ahead of their next fixtures in the competition.
This defeat leaves Celta Vigo with zero points in Europa League Group H after the first matchday. The standings picture can be checked on our standings page. The Galician side must now react in their next LaLiga match, where they will look to improve their attacking output. The squad available for that game is listed in the squad section.
The European schedule now forces Celta to prepare for their next match in the competition, which will be played in two weeks' time. The team will return to Balaídos with an urgent need to secure their first points to keep their hopes of advancing to the next round alive. Details of the next fixture and the full schedule are available on the fixtures page.
