Celta sinks into crisis and loses to Omonia in their Europa League debut

Celta de Vigo continues to fail to win at the start of the season. After a difficult start in the LaLiga, the Galician team also got on the wrong foot in Europa League, losing 1-0 against Omonia, in Nicosia.

The match, played this Wednesday, ended with a late goal from Swear Balkovec, in the 88th minute, which decided a balanced match and prolonged the negative moment of the Spanish team.

A winless start to the season

The European defeat worsens the doubts surrounding Celta. In the first rounds of LaLiga, the team still failed to win: they drew with Valencia (0-0), lost with Osasuna (1-2), drew with Real Sociedad (0-0), lost with Athletic Club (0-2) and drew again, this time against Málaga (1-1).

They are, therefore, five league games without any victory, with just three points won.

The draw against Málaga, in Balaídos, had already left Celta in a delicate situation. The team once again revealed difficulties in transforming their dominance into goals and ended up sharing the points with an opponent who was also still looking for their first victory in the competition.

Bitter defeat in Nicosia

In the Europa League, history repeated itself again. Celta had initiative and created some opportunities, but were unable to convert. Omonia goalkeeper Fabiano responded to the Spaniards' attempts, while Andrei Radu also prevented the Cypriots from scoring early.

The goal came towards the end. To the 88 minutes, Balkovec received and shot from outside the box, putting the ball into the top corner and giving Omonia a 1-0 victory.

Celta still tried to react in the final minutes and had opportunities through Borja Iglesias, Marcos Alonso and Miguel Román, but were unable to avoid defeat.

Pressure mounts for Claudio Giráldez

The result leaves Celta going through a particularly complicated moment: five rounds without a win in LaLiga and a defeat in the debut of the Europa League league stage.

The team will now have to look for an immediate response in the championship. The next appointment is scheduled for September 19, against Racing Santander, in Balaídos.

In Europe, the calendar also does not facilitate recovery: Celta's next game in the Europa League will be against Juventus, on October 15th, in Vigo.

Celta therefore needs to quickly transform its dominance into results, in a season that started with difficulties both at national and European level.