Royale Union began the match with confidence befitting a side that were unbeaten in 13 in all competitions, but their failure to turn pressure into chances was punished 11 minutes in, when Pablo Duran received Sergio Carreira’s through ball as he cut in from the left, and steered the ball past Herve Koffi and in off the far post to give Celta the lead.
Carreira nearly got in on the act himself midway through the half, but could only side-foot the ball wide when attempting to add the finishing touches to a swift counter-attack.
After a first 35 minutes in which they never came close to threatening, the visitors suddenly found themselves back on terms when Adem Zorgane’s inch-perfect ball over the top was taken down by Besfort Zeneli, who tucked his finish past Ionut Radu to ensure both teams had scored in 10 of the last 12 Celta matches in the group/league phase of this competition.
David Hubert’s side came into this having not only scored after half-time in all of their previous 12 outings, but 17 of their previous 19 goals before tonight had come after the break.
Therefore, it came as no surprise that they added another less than four minutes after the restart, as Zeneli played a pair of expert one-twos to work his way into the box before firing low past the goalkeeper to complete his brace.
Duran twice thought he had a double of his own either side of the hour mark, but his firm strike was palmed away by Koffi at full stretch, before a curling effort flew narrowly past the upright.
In the final 15 minutes, Koffi was too strong for Javi Galan and Iago Aspas, saving from the former with his legs at close range before batting away a fierce hit from the veteran, but then the VAR alerted the referee to an incident a few moments earlier, spotting a handball at the other end by Javi Rodriguez.
Zeneli stepped up to complete his hat-trick, but Radu denied him by saving the penalty.
Though his error wasn’t punished, Rodriguez almost atoned late on with a ferocious volley from outside the area, but Koffi stood firm again to keep it out and secure back-to-back wins in the same European campaign for Les Unionistes for the first time since January 2025.
For Claudio Giraldez’s side, this was a first-ever defeat to Belgian opposition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pablo Duran (Celta Vigo)