Santi Mina signs Celta's first victory in 2021

Celta achieved their first victory of the year (since December 30, 2020 they did not win) after beating Elche 3-1 that still cannot raise its head. The ‘Chacho’ Coudet team, which had chained three draws, the last one of prestige against the leader Atlético, put the victory on track with two goals in the final stretch of the first half, the second of them already in added time. It was useless for Jorge Almirón's team to have endured relatively without problems against the celestial ones and to put the rival in some trouble. In two minutes, he jettisoned everything he had done and added his sixteenth consecutive day without winning (it is already the only First team that has not done it in 2021), so it remains in the relegation zone.

Coudet repeated the initial ‘eleven’ that offered such a good feeling in the Wanda Metropolitano, although this time it was difficult for him to settle in the green of Balaídos. So much so that it was Elche who was able to open the scoring, in minute 2, but Lucas Boyé's shot was met with a great response by Rubén Blanco. The local reaction was in the boots of Nolito, who almost immediately made Edgar Badía shine.

There was no clear dominator of the game, because although Celta had the ball, Elche gave a sense of danger in several cons. After a shot by Aarón Martín that made Edgar Badía intervene, Raúl Guti made it 0-1, but his great volley shot, from Lucas Boyé's pass, was narrowly deflected.

Elche began to lose the shock in the middle of it, when in just five minutes they lost Josán and Mojica due to muscular injuries. The bewilderment of the visitors would be taken advantage of by Celta in the closing stages of the first period. Thus, in the 45th minute, a pass from Nolito was culminated by Santi Mina. And two minutes later, another assist from the Andalusian would be used by Brais Méndez to make it 2-0 on the scoreboard.

After passing through the changing rooms, Elche went out to play open-ended, soon finding an unexpected prize, as he scored thanks to a gift from Rubén Blanco. The goalkeeper, in his eagerness to avoid a corner, placed the ball at Carrillo's feet and Carrillo crossed for Rigoni to score his first goal in the Spanish League at will. The goal was checked by the VAR, who conceded it, as the Mexican Araujo invalidated the possible offside of the Argentine when he finished off with his position.

It was the 50th minute and the game started again. Celta had doubts and Coudet put Augusto Solari through Nolito to open up the field more while Elche continued to approach the vicinity of the blue area. But the entry to the field of the Argentine winger was water in May for his team because, in the 68th minute, a center of his to the heart of the area was finished off at the back of the goal by Santi Mina after getting ahead of Gonzalo Verdú.

Elche, although 'touched' by the third conceded goal, continued to seek to cut distances, although he did so with more heart than ideas against a well-equipped Celta behind, who did not concede anything to his rival, and who ended up tying the three points that place him in a comfortable ninth position. Quite the opposite of Elche, because after his umpteenth KO he remains in the penultimate position.

(+) See the summary of the match

13 Ruben 13 Edgar Badía
two Hugo Mallo 2. 3 Cifuentes
4 N. Araujo 5 Gonzalo verdu
24 J. Murillo two D. González 46 '
19 Aaron (12 Dani Calvo)
6 D. Suarez 89 ' 25 J. Mojica 31 '
(27 M. Baeza) (eleven Tete Morente)
9 Nolito 63 ' 17 Josan 27 '
(twenty-one A. Solari) (24 Jose Ma)
14 R. Tapia 14 R. Guti
2. 3 Brais Mendez 76 ' 4 I. Marcone
(12 F. Ferreyra) 22 E. Rigoni
10 Iago Aspas 89 ' twenty-one G. Carrillo 85 '
(18 J. Aidoo) (10 Pere Milla)
22 Santi Mina 76 ' 9 L. Boyé
(8 F. Beltrán)

Goals:(1-0) Santi Mina (44 '), (2-0) Brais Méndez (45'), (2-1) E. Rigoni (51 '), (3-1) Santi Mina (68')

Cards:L E. Rigoni (36 '), Brais Méndez (53'), F. Ferreyra (78 '), Gonzalo Verdú (82'), Iago Aspas (82 ')L

Referee:From Burgos Bengoetxea (Basque Committee)

Spectators: Behind closed doors in Balaídos

THE BEST Santi Mina's success and Nolito's assists
WORST Elche continues without raising its head: it has not won since October 23, 2020