Cádiz CF were beaten in Vigo by a Celta side who made the most of their extraordinary effectiveness in front of goal by scoring with every opportunity they fashioned in the first half. Following Nolito’s early strike, Álvaro Cervera’s side had several chances to score and change the game's script and the final result.
Celta strike early
Celta’s attacking duo of Iago Aspas and Nolito made their intention plain from the outset: to frustrate Cádiz’s decent run of form. In the early exchanges the hosts opened the scoring with a sensational move in which both attacking players linked up with Aspas feeding a ball from the byline back towards Nolito, who hit a low shot past Cádiz keeper Conan Ledesma.
Cádiz fight back and almost level
The visitors threw off their usual game plan and put on their Plan B suits to chase the game, obliged as they were to take the match to Celta on their own terms. Iván Alejo forced Rubén into a save with a left-footed cross-shot that the Celta keeper palmed away for a corner.
The resulting set-piece gave Cádiz their best chance of the game: Fali glanced a header behind him and found Álvaro Negredo in the middle of the area, the striker planting a header beyond Rubén but onto the post to the despair of the visiting side.
Aspas provokes and scores a penalty
Celta could see that the game was delicately poised and could become extremely difficult for them at any given moment and the home side duly sought out Aspas, their most dangerous player, to create a bit of magic. And he did so with a through ball that sent Santi Mina in one-on-one with Ledesma, who brought the Celta forward down in the area. Aspas stepped up and buried the penalty to give the home side a two-goal lead.
Perea chance to pull one back before the break
Álex Fernández’s excellent footwork in midfield opened up some space on the flank for Alejo, who sent in a searching cross to the far post. Perea was there to meet it with his instep but the winger’s effort flashed past the upright when it looked certain to find the net.
Fran Beltrán and Brais Méndez double Celta’s lead in the blink of an eye
Aspas, once again the centre of Celta’s attacking intent, controlled a ball on the edge of the area and laid it off to Beltrán, who lashed a shot towards goal. A deflection off the knee of Marcos Mauro wrongfooted Lesema, who was rooted to the spot as the ball spun away from him for Celta’s third.
On their next foray forward Celta hammered the nail in with a fourth when Méndez met a Denis Suárez cross to head home.
Cádiz look to shake things up with a double change
Cervera shuffled his deck at the break by bringing on Jairo Izquierdo and Pombo with the intention of shaking up his attack to strike back quickly, but the gambit did not bear fruit as the clock ticked along with Cádiz unable to fashion a breakthrough.
Aspas hits the post and has a goal disallowed
Spain international Aspas was in his element and every chance that fell to the Celta striker was translated into danger for Ledesma. Aspas rattled a post after being put through by Nolito and moments later he had a goal ruled out for offside after he had rounded the Cádiz keeper and slotted home.
Cervera rolls the dice with attacking reinforcements
Cádiz’s DNA precludes throwing in the towel and Cervera made a triple change with Jon Ander Garrido, Filip Malbasic and Anthony Lozano joining the fray to add some fresh legs to the attack as the visitors sought to pull one back. Despite Cádiz’s determination to get on the score board there were no further goals in the second half, although Iza went close with a direct free kick and Garrido glanced a header narrowly wide in stoppage time.
