Article by Dragoș Petrescu, Mihai Șovei – Published Sunday, January 18, 2026 21:31 / Updated Sunday, January 18, 2026 21:58
With IONUŢ I'm glad between butts, Celta Vigo won by no-show score in front of those from Rayo Vallecano3-0, in a duel of the round with number #20 in La Liga.
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Andrei Ratiu he was not part of the away team, being unavailable due to muscle problems.
The complete program of stage #20 of La Liga
Ionuț Radu's team continues the excellent form it has been experiencing since the beginning of the year, and with the success recorded today, in which the Romanian goalkeeper was not tested many times, Celta Vigo reached three victories in as many matches played in 2026.
Radu, one important save per half in Celta – Rayo 3-0
The first important goal chance of the game was recorded after a quarter of an hour from the starting whistle of the “central” Mateo Busquets and it belonged to the guests.
Jorge de Frutos managed to penetrate into the opponent's box, but Ionuț Radu perfectly anticipated the Rayo striker's intention and came out to meet the Spaniard, blocking him in a regular manner.
The home team's reply came ten minutes later when Bryan Zaragoza headed back towards Batalla's goal from the edge of the box, but the Argentinian goalkeeper managed to push the ball away for a corner.
Later, Radu's teammates unlocked the scoreboard and did it right before the break. In the 40th minute, the visitors' defense was checkmated by a combination of passes between Hugo Alvarez and Sergio Carreira, and the latter opened the scoring with a shot from inside the box.
The beginning of the second act found Rayo on the offensive, and after only two minutes of the game resuming, Isi Palazon tested Ionuț Radu with a shot from outside the box, but the Romanian international managed to catch it in two times.
Then came the home side's 2-0 goal from 11 yards, awarded after Mateo Busquets saw through Pacha's foul on Bryan Zaragoza in his own box. It was the same Zaragoza who took charge from the penalty spot, converting without emotion.
Until the end, Rayo received another double blow. In the first phase, Inigo Perez's students remained in 10, this after Nobel Mendy was eliminated after an extremely dangerous foul he committed on the newcomer Swedberg (67'), and later, Celta made it 3-0 following a lightning counterattack, at the end of which another player was introduced along the way, namely Javier Rueda.
Following this result, Claudio Giraldez's team accumulated 32 points and remained 7th in the standings, the first position below the European places.
On the other hand, Andrei Rațiu's team is in 12th place, with 22 points.
In the next stage of La Liga, Celta Vigo will go to San Sebastian, for the duel with Real Sociedad, while Rayo Vallecano will receive the visit of Osasuna.
Until then, however, Ionuț Radu's team will face the French from Lille in the Europa League. The match will take place on Thursday, January 23, from 22:00 at the same Estadio de Balaido.
La Liga standings:
FINAL » Celta Vigo – Rayo Vallecano 3-0
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Click HERE for statistics;
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They scored: S. Carreira (40'), B. Zaragoza (54' – penalty), J. Rueda (79');
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The 67th minute: Rayo stays in 10! Nobel Mendy was eliminated after an extremely dangerous foul on newcomer Swedberg.
Celta Vigo – Rayo Vallecano » Starting teams:
CELTA VIGO (3-4-3): i. I'm glad – J. Rodriguez, Starfelt, M. Alonso – Carreira, Sotelo, Moriba, Mingueza – Zaragoza, Duran, Alvarez
reserves: Villar – Aidoo, Aspas, Burcio, Dominguez, El Abdellaoui, Fernandez, Iglesias, Lago, Roman, Rueda, Swedberg
Coach: Claudio Giraldez
RAYO VALLECANO (4-3-3): Batalla – Pacha, Lejeune, N. Mendy, Chavarria – Palazon, Gumbau, P. Diaz – Martin, De Frutos, A. Garcia
reserves: Cardenas, Molina – Alemao, Becerra, De Las Sias, Nteka, Perez, Trejo, Vertrouwd
Coach: Inigo Perez
Stadium: Balaidos Stadium (Vigo)
Referee: Mateo Busquets
