Celta Vigo booked their place in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals with a composed 2-0 victory away to Olympique Lyonnais at the Groupama Stadium, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win.
After a patient first hour, Javier Rueda broke the deadlock in the 61st minute, before Ferran Jutglà wrapped things up deep into stoppage time.
Lyon’s night was made even tougher as they finished with nine men, following an early red card for Moussa Niakhaté and a late dismissal for Nicolás Tagliafico.
The hosts’ hopes took a major hit in the 19th minute when Niakhaté was sent off, forcing Paulo Fonseca’s side into a defensive 5-3-2 setup.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Lyon remained resilient for long spells, showing strength in duels and aerial battles, but the effort of playing over 70 minutes with ten men eventually wore them down.
Referee Irfan Peljto had a busy evening, issuing several cards. While Celta picked up five yellow cards, they maintained their full complement of players.
Lyon, however, saw two players sent off, with Tagliafico receiving his marching orders in added time after a second booking for dissent.
Celta’s dominance was reflected in the statistics. Claudio Giráldez’s side controlled 65 percent of possession, registered 14 shots with eight on target, and recorded 1.54 expected goals.
In contrast, Lyon struggled to create chances, managing just four attempts, one on target, and an xG of 0.24. The visitors also led in corners (6-1) and final third entries (81-42).
Their superiority extended to passing, completing 500 of 557 attempts compared to Lyon’s 238 of 289. Marcos Alonso stood out with 80 accurate passes from 83, while Sergio Carreira also impressed with 75 successful passes from 79.
For Lyon, goalkeeper Dominik Greif delivered a strong performance despite the defeat, making six saves and preventing 1.59 goals, earning a team-best rating.
Steeve Kango also put in a solid shift defensively, but Niakhaté’s early red card and Tagliafico’s late exit summed up a difficult night for the French side.
Celta’s persistence finally paid off just after the hour mark, and they continued to apply pressure until the closing stages.
The second goal was the product of a well-worked move involving Marcos Alonso, Hugo Sotelo, and Iago Aspas, before Rodríguez set up Jutglà to calmly finish with his left foot.
In the end, Celta’s control and composure proved decisive, as they advanced comfortably with a 2-0 win on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.
