Villarreal and Celta Vigo have fought out a 0-0 stalemate on Wednesday.
John Guidetti had the best chances for Celta but twice could not beat an inspired Alphonse Areola in the Villarreal goal. The same can be said of Sergio Alvarez at the other end who twice denied Cedric Bakambu.
Shots from distance was the order of the second half as the home side tried to surprise Areola but to little effect. The half played out much like the first with Celta controlling the ball and sitting in Villarreal’s half but unable to break down the away side.
This match played out as one of the league’s most intelligent attacks versus one of its most solid defences and while it was defence that won on the day, Celta will feel like that should have gotten more.
Celta Vigo
Sergio Alvarez – 7: Two saves in the first half to deny Bakambu but little to do in the second.
Jonny Castro – 7: Controlled and composed, moved forward to support Nolito on many occasions.
Sergi Gomez – 6: Was the less impressive of the two centre-backs and was beaten for pace too often by Bakambu.
Gustavo Cabral – 6.5: Marshalled his defence well and controlled the game from the back line.
Hugo Mallo – 6.5: Was not as influential as his other wing-back but dealt with the threat of Denis Suarez admirably.
Marcelo Diaz – 6.5: A pitbull in the midfield whose tackling and tenacity had a lot to do with Villarreal staying scoreless.
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Daniel Wass – 6: Helped Diaz control the Villarreal threat but needed more going forward.
Nolito – 5.5: By his lofty standards, a very quiet match. Always looked in the game but never in control of it.
Fabio Orellana – 6: Did not have the effect he did the first time these teams played and was marked too well by Pina.
Iago Aspas – 5.5: Held on to the ball well but needed more final product.
John Guidetti – 6.5: Worked tirelessly hard for his team but could not produce the final product. Substituted on the hour.
Substitutes
Theo Bongonda – 3: Had zero impact in his half an hour on the field.
Nemanja Radoja – N/A: Introduced with 88 minutes on the clock.
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