Celta Vigo Cruise Past PAOK in Europa League
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| Celta Vigo beat PAOK, advance in Europa League |
Celta Vigo beat PAOK 1-0 (3-1 agg) to advance to the Europa League last 16, with Williot Swedberg scoring the winning goal.
PAOK needed a big push to get back into the game, but with 15 minutes left...
Celta Vigo cruised into the next round of the Europa League thanks to a goal from Swedberg, securing a 3-1 aggregate win over PAOK.
Celta had already won 2-1 in Thessaloniki last week, so PAOK needed a big performance to overturn the deficit - a tough ask given their poor record in Spain, having lost six and drawn two in eight previous away European matches.
The first half was a slow burn, with both teams hesitant to push forward.
The game sprung to life just before the half-hour mark. Iago Aspas was picked out in the box after a neat passing move, and his cutback to Matias Vecino at the edge of the box almost paid off - Vecino's effort flew narrowly wide.
Celta dominated possession leading up to half-time, but PAOK's defence was hard to crack. The Greek side was well-organized, and neither team had a shot on target as the game went goalless into the break.
Celta got off to a much quicker start following the interval, and they came close to breaking the deadlock four minutes into the second half after a quick, swift break forward.
A long ball sent Javi Rueda racing down the right flank, and the Spaniard played a pinpoint pass to Borja Iglesias on the edge of the box, only for the talisman’s curling effort to be turned behind by Antonis Tsiftsis.
PAOK struggled to gain a foothold in the contest and never looked like threatening, and they were punished just past the hour mark.
A high press deep into the Greek side’s half paid dividends for the Celestes as they forced a turnover, with the ball eventually worked to Iglesias on the edge of the box, and his deft touch slipped in Williot Swedberg, who passed the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Williot Swedberg scores again as Celta beat PAOK 3-1 on aggregate 👊#UEL pic.twitter.com/bHEkB4xliG
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 26, 2026
PAOK needed a big push to get back into the game, but with 15 minutes left, they still hadn't registered a shot in the second half. Celta was comfortably in control, cruising to victory.
Razvan Lucescu's side failed to threaten Celta, and it was a disappointing performance from PAOK. Celta, on the other hand, was excellent, winning 10 of their last 11 knockout ties in UEFA competitions after winning the first leg.
Celta are through to the round of 16 🩵#UEL pic.twitter.com/vbgvKqMnPZ
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 26, 2026
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