Celta Vigo moved into the unseeded playoff spots in the UEFA Europa League after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over LOSC Lille, maintaining their perfect start to 2026 across all competitions (W4).
The match got off to a nightmare start for Lille, as an early error from centre-back Alexsandro gifted Celta possession in the first minute.
Borja Iglesias latched onto the loose ball, laid it off to captain Iago Aspas, who set up Williot Swedberg for a simple finish to put the Spanish side ahead.
Lille’s evening went from bad to worse when goalkeeper Berke Ozer mishandled a clearance under pressure from Swedberg, though the ball rebounded harmlessly.
Matters deteriorated further when Nabil Bentaleb was forced off with a shoulder injury. With few midfield options on the bench, defender Aissa Mandi was drafted in as his replacement.
Celta continued to dominate, with Aspas coming close to doubling the lead before playing a role in Iglesias’ goal, which was ruled out for offside against Javi Rueda.
Lille seemed to find some rhythm and gained a numerical advantage shortly before the half-hour mark when Hugo Sotelo was shown a red card after stepping on Mandi’s ankle—a decision overturned from a prior yellow following a VAR review.
Even with the extra man, Lille struggled to generate meaningful chances. Head coach Bruno Genesio responded with a double substitution at half-time, while Celta also made two changes, opting for a slightly more defensive setup.
The Galicians remained mostly comfortable, though Olivier Giroud tested goalkeeper Ionut Radu with a chance just before the hour.
Celta punished Lille for their lack of threat on 68 minutes. Substitute Pablo Duran won a corner, which Miguel Roman delivered perfectly for the unmarked Carl Starfelt to power in off Ozer’s near post.
Giroud managed a late close-range strike to reduce the deficit, but Celta held on for a vital win.
The result lifts Celta to 13th in the table, safe from elimination at the end of the league phase.
Lille, meanwhile, remain 21st and winless in four matches since the new year, needing a victory against Freiburg next week to secure a seeded playoff berth.
