Zeneli double turns it around for Union SG at Balaídos
Pablo Durán gave Celta an early lead, but Besfort Zeneli scored either side of half-time as Union SG won 2-1 in Vigo on Europa League Matchday 4.
By Harvey Watkins,
Union SG came from behind to beat Celta 2-1 at the Estadio de Balaídos on Thursday night, with Besfort Zeneli scoring both of their goals on the fourth matchday of the Europa League. Pablo Durán had put the home side ahead after 11 minutes. Zeneli equalised in the 35th minute and scored again four minutes into the second half, and that proved to be the end of the scoring.
How the goals came
Celta made the brighter start on the scoreboard. Durán's goal arrived inside the opening quarter of an hour, and an early home lead in European competition is usually a comfortable place to be. It lasted 24 minutes.
Zeneli's equaliser came ten minutes before the interval, which meant Celta went in level rather than in front. His second, in the 49th minute, came soon after the restart. Taken together, the two goals turned the match within roughly a quarter of an hour of playing time either side of half-time. That stretch decided the evening.
Zeneli's night
A brace away from home in Europe is a significant contribution for any player, and the timing of Zeneli's goals added to their weight. The first erased a deficit before it could settle. The second put his side in front just as the second half was getting going, leaving the home side the rest of the match to find a response.
There is not much more to say about the individual finishes without guessing, and guessing is not worth much here. What can be said is that Union SG needed two goals to win, and one man provided both.
Celta's evening
For Celta, the outline is a familiar and frustrating one: a lead established early and then lost, followed by a second half in which no equaliser came. From the 49th minute onwards, they had a little over 40 minutes plus stoppage time to draw level, and the score did not change again.
Durán's goal remains the bright spot. Scoring inside 11 minutes at home is the start most sides want. The difficulty was what followed, and the fact that the turnaround came so quickly, either side of the interval, gave Celta little time to steady themselves in between.
Reading the result
One match is thin evidence on its own, and it would be a stretch to draw broad conclusions about either side from a single result. The scoreline is not ambiguous, though. Union SG went behind away from home, recovered before half-time, took the lead shortly after it and held on. That is a result built on resilience as much as on finishing, and it is the kind of evening a travelling side tends to remember.
For Celta, the lesson is simpler and less comfortable. A lead at Balaídos was not enough, and the 14 minutes of playing time across which it disappeared were the difference between a home win and a home defeat.