Gerard Moreno and Pépé Strike Early as Villarreal Edge Celta

Villarreal CF held on for a 2–1 victory over RC Celta de Vigo in the Primera Division on matchday 32, building an early two-goal cushion before surviving a second-half response from the visitors.

The hosts struck almost immediately. In the 2nd minute, Gerard Moreno converted from the penalty spot to give Villarreal the perfect start and a 1–0 lead. Celta, already under pressure, picked up an early booking through Marcos Alonso on 14 minutes as the game’s intensity rose.

Primera Division FINISHED

2026-04-26 19:00

Villarreal CF

2 - 1

RC Celta de Vigo

Matchday 32 REGULAR_SEASON

Villarreal doubled their advantage in the 29th minute. Nicolas Pépé finished off a move assisted by Alfonso Pedraza to make it 2–0, moments before Celta goalkeeper Ionuț Radu was shown a yellow card. Pépé went into the referee’s book himself shortly before the break, while Pablo Durán also saw yellow for Celta in first-half stoppage time.

The second half saw Celta push back, aided by several changes. Ferran Jutglà replaced Durán at the interval, and a triple substitution on 76 minutes introduced Iago Aspas, Fer López and Álvaro Núñez as the visitors chased the game.

Celta found a lifeline in the 73rd minute when Borja Iglesias converted a penalty to cut the deficit to 2–1, though he was booked a minute later. Villarreal responded with a triple substitution on 78 minutes, withdrawing Pedraza, Pape Gueye and Pépé for Sergi Cardona, Dani Parejo and Alfonso González as they looked to regain control.

Further late changes saw Ayoze Pérez and Thomas Partey come on for Villarreal, while Hugo González replaced Iglesias for Celta, but neither side could alter the scoreline. Ilaix Moriba received a late yellow card in the 90th minute as Celta’s frustration grew.

Villarreal’s early efficiency ultimately decided the contest, with detailed information beyond the listed goals, bookings and substitutions not available from the official data. For more on this fixture, visit the full match page on Ballaxy: Villarreal vs Celta.

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Primera Division Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	FC Barcelona	34	29	1	4	89	31	58	88	W W W W W
2	Real Madrid CF	34	24	5	5	70	31	39	77	W D W D L
3	Villarreal CF	34	21	5	8	64	39	25	68	W W D W L
4	Club Atlético de Madrid	34	19	6	9	58	37	21	63	W W L L L
5	Real Betis Balompié	34	13	14	7	52	41	11	53	W D W D D
6	RC Celta de Vigo	34	12	11	11	48	44	4	47	W L L L W
7	Getafe CF	34	13	5	16	28	36	-8	44	L L W L W
8	Athletic Club	34	13	5	16	40	50	-10	44	W L W L L
9	Real Sociedad de Fútbol	34	11	10	13	52	53	-1	43	L D L D W
10	CA Osasuna	34	11	9	14	40	42	-2	42	L W L D D
11	Rayo Vallecano de Madrid	34	10	12	12	35	41	-6	42	W D W L
12	Valencia CF	34	10	9	15	37	50	-13	39	L W D L L
13	RCD Espanyol de Barcelona	34	10	9	15	37	51	-14	39	L D L L D
14	Elche CF	34	9	11	14	45	53	-8	38	L W W W
15	RCD Mallorca	34	10	8	16	42	51	-9	38	W L D W W
16	Girona FC	34	9	11	14	36	51	-15	38	L L L D W
17	Sevilla FC	34	10	7	17	41	55	-14	37	W L L W L
18	Deportivo Alavés	34	9	9	16	40	53	-13	36	L W L D D
19	Levante UD	34	8	9	17	38	55	-17	33	L D W W L
20	Real Oviedo	34	6	10	18	26	54	-28	28	L L D W W