Celta Vigo kicked off 2026 with a commanding 4-1 win over struggling Valencia, who remain without an away victory in LaLiga this season (D3, L6).
Valencia, desperate to end a four-game winless streak (D3, L1), looked to make an early impact on the road.
They were handed a penalty in the seventh minute after Joseph Aidoo brought down Andre Almeida in the box, but Pepelu’s spot-kick rattled the post.
Celta responded quickly. Oscar Mingueza tested Julen Agirrezabala with a shot, and Aidoo narrowly missed with a header from a corner.
Yet it was Borja Iglesias who opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, converting a second penalty of the half after going down under a challenge from Dimitri Foulquier, marking his 10th league goal of the season.
With the first half in their favour, Celta remained confident against Valencia, a side they had yet to lose to when facing teams starting the round in the bottom nine (W3, D5).
After the break, Celta continued to dominate. Pablo Duran, who had come on in the first half, latched onto a precise Mingueza through ball and squared it for Iglesias to tap in his second of the night.
Valencia responded late in the 70th minute when Pepelu capitalized on a loose Marcos Alonso clearance to fire into the bottom corner, sparking a brief resurgence.
Celta quickly snuffed out any comeback hopes. In the 83rd minute, substitute Jones El-Abdellaoui intercepted a pass from Mouctar Diakhaby, raced through on goal, and slotted home to restore the two-goal cushion.
El-Abdellaoui came close to adding another, but Valencia defenders blocked his shot in a swift counterattack.
The scoring was wrapped up in stoppage time as Hugo Alvarez calmly finished past Agirrezabala, sealing a 4-1 triumph.
The result moves Celta to six matches unbeaten in LaLiga (W4, D1), while Valencia remain in serious trouble, sitting just one point above the relegation zone with only three wins from 18 games.
