FROM OUR SPANISH CORRESPONDENT
VIGO — It was a Sunday afternoon stroll for Real Oviedo as they ripped up the script at the Abanca-Balaídos, thumping a lackluster Celta Vigo 0-3 to breathe fire into their desperate battle against the drop.
While Celta had their eyes on European glory and a looming Europa League quarter-final, Oviedo had their eyes on the prize. The visitors didn’t just win; they dominated, led by a masterclass from Uruguayan marksman Federico Viñas.
The Asturian outfit wasted no time silencing the Vigo faithful. Just five minutes were on the clock when Alberto Reina found space in the box to slot home a clinical opener. Celta, missing the spark of the rested Iago Aspas, looked like a side with their minds already on their Thursday flight to Germany.
If Reina’s opener was the warning shot, Federico Viñas provided the knockout blows. The powerhouse forward doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime, finishing off a brilliant delivery from Ilyas Chaira.
Vigo boss Claudio Giráldez threw on the big guns—Aspas and Borja Iglesias—at the break, but it was too little, too late. On 57 minutes, Viñas rose again, latching onto a Thiago Fernandez cross to make it three and send the traveling Oviedo support into raptures.
Oviedo’s defense, marshaled by veteran Eric Bailly, was a blue wall that Celta simply couldn’t scale. Despite the hosts boasting 60% possession, they failed to register a single shot to truly trouble Aarón Escandell in the Oviedo goal.
The result leaves Celta Vigo licking their wounds in 6th place, while Oviedo moves within touching distance of the safety zone. For the visitors, this wasn’t just three points—it was a statement that they belong in the big time.
MATCH STATS
CELTA VIGO: 0
REAL OVIEDO: 3 (Reina 5’, Viñas 45’, 57’)
ATTENDANCE: 20,360
MAN OF THE MATCH: Federico Viñas (Real Oviedo)
