Getafe 0 - 1 Celta Vigo: Nolito makes up for lost time with winning goal

Posted Sunday, February 28, 2016 by PA

Nolito scored his first goal in almost three months to give Celta Vigo a barely deserved 1-0 victory at Getafe.

The Madrid outfit spurned a series of goalscoring chances in either half but the Spain international came off the bench after the break to grab the three points for his side, turning the ball in from close range on 71 minutes.

The 29-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in the January transfer window but has not started a match since December of last year after tearing a hamstring.

He made his first appearance of 2016 last week by coming on as a late substitute in Celta's 3-2 win over Eibar, and proved the difference here after replacing John Guidetti.

The hosts had made an energetic start and could have taken the lead in under a minute when Karim Yoda got down the left wing to cross and Sergio Alvarez ended up tipping the ball onto the crossbar as he tried to catch it.

Mehdi Lacen, Alvaro Vazquez and Pablo Sarabia also all came close to opening the scoring for Getafe in a strong first-half display but Celta improved after the break and it took a fine save from Vicente Guaita to prevent Theo Bongonda from scoring right at the start of the second half.

Getafe had a few more chances but Celta kept on getting closer, Guaita tipping away a shot from Fabian Orellana that looked destined for the top corner.

The visitors finally struck from the resulting corner, the loose ball dropping to Nolito deep inside the area.

The Galicians boost their hopes of securing a Europa League spot thanks to the win, while Getafe remain just two points above the relegation zone.