Las Palmas returns from Vigo with a point, but it could have been three (1-1)
UD Las Palmas returns from Vigo with a valuable point, though it could have been all three at stake. The yellow team drew 1-1 with Celta in a match that had two distinct phases: in the first half, Celta dominated and crowned their efforts with a stoppage-time goal by Alfon. However, in the second half, the team from Gran Canaria was more offensively present, equalized through a goal by Moleiro, and even celebrated a second goal by Fabio Silva. However, VAR intervened to disallow it, and the match ended in a point shared by both teams.
Las Palmas approached the game in Balaídos with a conservative strategy, using a three-center-back formation (Bajcetic, Juanma Herzog, and McKenna), mirroring their opponent’s setup. The yellow team managed to keep a clean sheet until extra time in the first half, when Alfon González opened the scoring with a well-placed shot across goal.
Up until that point, Las Palmas had minimized their mistakes and even had the chance to take the lead in the 17th minute when Fabio Silva’s shot was deflected for a corner by goalkeeper Guaita.
Celta controlled possession and created their best opportunity through Borja Iglesias. The striker broke into the box after a well-placed pass but was denied by Jasper Cillessen. It wasn’t the only duel between the two, but in their second encounter, the Dutch goalkeeper suffered an injury after colliding with the Celta forward.
Dinko Horkas was then called upon as Diego Martínez’s first substitute. The Croatian goalkeeper made his presence felt in the 31st minute with a full-stretch save to deny another Iglesias attempt.
Las Palmas had less possession than their opponent but still managed to test Guaita again when Campaña attempted a cross-shot in the 43rd minute. A goalless first half seemed inevitable until a midfield turnover allowed Alfon to launch a counterattack and find the back of the Gran Canaria team's net.
Diego Martínez introduced Essugo and Sandro for the second half, which started on a positive note for Las Palmas. In their first attacking play, Moleiro scored the equalizer after a deep run by McBurnie, who delivered the ball into the box, where Silva smartly let it pass through his legs for the Tenerife-born player to finish.
With the 1-1 scoreline, the match effectively restarted at Balaídos, with Las Palmas shifting to a four-man defense as one of their center-backs was replaced by an extra midfielder.
Las Palmas crafted an excellent move to take the lead in the 69th minute. The team celebrated, but VAR intervened and ruled out the goal due to an offside position by Oli McBurnie. The decision was not well received by the visiting players and coaching staff, but their efforts at least earned them a hard-fought draw.
