Celta Vigo Stun Atletico Madrid 1-0 to Boost European Hopes

Atletico suffer rare home defeat as Celta revive European bid  

Borja Iglesias’ lob sealed a 1-0 win for Celta at Atletico, ending a three-game away losing run and keeping their Champions League chase alive.

A stunning first-half lob from Borja gave Celta a 1-0 victory at Atletico Madrid, with Ionuț Radu making a crucial late save to preserve the points...

  

Celta Vigo kept their European push alive with a gritty 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid, snapping a run of three straight away defeats.

  

Atletico showed no signs of lingering frustration from their Champions League semi-final exit, pressing Celta aggressively from the opening minutes.

The pressure forced Celta into a compact 4-5-1 setup. Ademola Lookman caused problems with his dribbling and work rate, but it was Alex Baena who went closest for Atletico, striking the post in the 12th minute.

Former Barcelona players Ilaix Moriba and Oscar Mingueza helped Celta hold possession in spells, but any ball played forward to Borja Iglesias was quickly returned to Atlético.

Atletico didn’t test the keeper until the 30th minute, when Antoine Griezmann forced the first save. Neither side created much before halftime, giving the game an end-of-season feel and little to excite the fans.

The second half began much like the first, with Atletico pushing forward. Alexander Sorloth forced a save soon after the restart, and Lookman later blazed a close-range chance over the bar.

Against the run of play, Borja produced a superb lob over a stranded Jan Oblak to put Celta ahead with their first shot on target. Williot Swedberg’s simple pass to him cut through five Atletico players and opened the chance.

Atletico’s late push opened up space for Celta to advance higher up the pitch than they had before scoring, turning the game into a more open and entertaining contest.

Ionuț Radu produced a full-stretch save to deny Cubo’s powerful header late on. The result marked only Atlético’s third home league defeat of the season, having won 14 and drawn one of the previous 17 at home.

FT: #AtletiCelta 0-1

Celta's determination earns them a hard-fought victory! ⚔️#LALIGAEASPORTS | #DesenlaceLALIGA pic.twitter.com/3JP6IUHVe8

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) May 9, 2026

The win gives Celta an outside shot at catching Real Betis for the final Champions League spot. It was just their second victory this season against a team that started the day above them in the table, with four draws and four losses in the other meetings.