Ionuț Radu's team missed the chance to climb into the TOP 6 in Spain! How the Romanian fared in the draw with Espanyol
Article by Dragoș Petrescu – Published Saturday, February 14, 2026, 5:41 p.m. / Updated Saturday, February 14, 2026, 5:42 p.m.
With IONUŢ I'm glad integralist, Celta Vigo got only a draw on the field of the Espanyolscore 2-2, the last goal of the game at RCDE Stadium being scored in the third extra minute. The match was part of round #24 in La Liga.
The complete program of stage #24 of La Liga
Celta Vigo today recorded their fourth straight match without a win in the league, despite being in charge of the game. However, Ionuț Radu, who couldn't do anything about the Catalans' goals, was left with a hard time by his defensive colleagues.
Celta Vigo left Catalonia with only one point
Striker Ferran Jutgla opened the scoreboard at RCDE Stadium at the end of the first half, precisely in the 38th minute, the Spaniard's success representing, moreover, the only goal scored until the break.
Later, the hosts equalized, through veteran Kike Garcia (36 years old), who beat Radu after a phase in which Claudio Giraldez's defense was extremely passive. In addition, the unfortunate positioning of his colleagues made the Romanian goalkeeper see the ball sent by the Espanyol player late.
Ten minutes later, Borja Iglesias managed to score for Celta, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
The end of the match was really dramatic. In the 86th minute, the newcomer Tyrhys Dolan gave the Catalans the advantage, being caught off the mark by the guests' defenders and resuming without emotion in Radu's goal from the penalty area. However, this would not be the last goal of the match.
In the third additional minute of the game, Borja Iglesias scored, and this time, the goal was validated. Thus, Giraldez's students left Catalonia with one point.
Following this result, Espanyol reached the milestone with number 35 and remain in 6th place in the standings, thus maintaining the minimum lead over Celta Vigo, who is in 7th position, with 34 points.
In the next stage of La Liga, the Catalan group will face Atletico Madrid, at the Metropolitano, while Ionuț Radu's team will receive a visit from Mallorca.
La Liga standings:
Espanyol – Celta Vigo » Starting teams:
SPANISH (4-4-2): Dmitrovic – El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Romero – Ngonge, Exposito, Lozano, Milla – Pickel, J. Fernandez
reserves: Fortuno, Tristan – Dolan, Garcia, Gonzalez, Jofre, Roca, Rubio, Salinas, Sanchez, Terrats
Coach: Manolo Gonzalez
CELTA VIGO (4-3-3): Radu – Rodriguez, Starfelt, Alonso – Rueda, Roman, Lopez, Carreira – Jutgla, Iglesias, Swedberg
reserves: Villar – Aidoo, Alvarez, Aspas, Duran, El Abdellaoui, M. Fernandez, Mingueza, Moriba, Ristic, Sotelo, Vecino
Coach: Claudio Giraldez
Stadium: RCDE Stadium (Cornella de Llobregat)
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez
