Espanyol strike late to beat Celta Vigo

Sergio Garcia scored an 88th-minute winner to hand Espanyol a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo in an uneventful La Liga encounter this evening.

Both sides struggled to create any meaningful chances in the first half, but there was a hint of one for Celta in the 29th minute when Santi Mina picked up the ball outside the box, only to snatch at his shot and send it harmlessly wide.

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Abraham looked to fashion an opening in the closing stages of the half when he delivered a dangerous ball towards Sergio Garcia, but the Espanyol skipper just couldn't make contact with it.

The second half followed a similar pattern until the hosts recorded a rare shot on target with just 10 minutes to go as Pizzi fired straight into the arms of Yoel.

Espanyol did finally break the deadlock in the 88th minute with the first clear chance of the match as Garcia bundled his way into the area before firing a low effort into the bottom corner.

That was enough to win it for the hosts, who move up four places to eighth in La Liga with the three points, while Celta remain just two spots above the relegation zone.