Espanyol 2-2 Celta Vigo: Late drama in Cornellà as VAR causes controversy again | OneFootball

Celta Vigo claimed a stoppage-time draw with Espanyol at RCDE Stadium, with Borja Iglesias drawing the visitors level after seeing an earlier effort chalked off by a lengthy VAR intervention.

With both teams looking to rediscover their form after a slow start to 2026, Ferran Jutglà netted the opener against his former employers in the first half.

From nowhere, Kike García produced a fabulous finish just after the hour mark to drag the hosts level, but Borja Iglesias netted a scrappy tap-in from close range to seemingly restore Celta’s lead – only to see VAR deny him for an apparent offside.

Tyrhys Dolan thought his 86th minute effort would prove to be the winner, until Borja Iglesias netted a dramatic equaliser in the dying minutes of stoppage time.

As it happened

Espanyol started well in front of their home faithful with a speculative strike from Edu Expósito requiring a low save from Ionuț Radu, and another chance soon after saw the Romanian goalkeeper forced to deny Roberto Fernández – although play was called back after the forward had fouled Karl Starfelt in the buildup.

But unfortunately for the blanc-i-blaus, their early pressure did not set the tone for the afternoon.

Well-worked play saw Sergio Carreira pivot inside the box and feed the arriving Javi Rodríguez on the edge of the box, with the defender smashing a fierce strike just wide of the top-left corner.

Celta Vigo made the pressure tell before the break when former Espanyol forward Ferran Jutglà slotted home from close range, turning home a Javi Rueda cross after a rapid counterattack.

The search for their second goal of the afternoon continued after the break, forcing a fine save from Marko Dmitrović in the opening minutes of the second half as Carreira looked to pick out the top corner.

After an injury-enforced stoppage following a hefty blow to the face sustained by Rueda, Espanyol pushed forward and found a crucial equaliser through Kike García, who did well to find the back of the net from a tight angle after evading two defenders inside the box.

But their lead looked to have lasted less than ten minutes when pinball at the other end of the pitch saw Omar El Hilali inadvertently tee up Borja Iglesias, who turned home a scrappy finish from close range.

All was not as it seemed though, with VAR deeming that there had been an offside somewhere in the buildup after another lengthy review reminiscent of Thursday’s Copa del Rey semi-final.

With Celta Vigo incensed by the decision, Espanyol capitalised and netted what they thought would be the decisive late through substitute Tyrhys Dolan, who slotted a composed finish past Radu after a well-placed square ball from Ramon Terrats.

But Borja Iglesias had other plans, rifling the roof of the net in the dying minutes of stoppage time as he pounced on a backheel pass from Pablo Durán to rescue a point in the most dramatic of fashions.

Analysis: VAR sparks late drama as teams fail to end winless runs

Before Christmas, this would have been billed an exciting fixture between an Espanyol side vying to join the fight for a UEFA Champions League spot and a Celta Vigo outfit who were only three points adrift of the lower European competition places.

But both sides have been in something of a free fall since the turn of the year, and instead this Matchday 24 clash served as a chance for both sides to bring an end to their respective winless runs.

Neither were able to do so, but to be clear, that did not make for a dull encounter in Cornella.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Manolo González’s Espanyol headed into Saturday’s match at the RCDE Stadium without a LaLiga win in 2026, having lost five of their six outings and having failed to keep a clean sheet.

The problems extended to the other end of the pitch for the blanc-i-blaus, though, who had also managed to score just five goals in those six games – a stark contrast to the free-scoring form they had found prior to the festive period that had seen them find the back of the net 22 times in 17 LaLiga clashes.

Saturday’s match against Celta Vigo should have provided a fabulous opportunity for the pericos to turn that form around, given that the visitors also headed to the RCDE Stadium on the back of a three game winless run that had marred a fine run of pre-Christmas form that had seen them lose just twice in 13 outings.

But the blanc-i-blaus found themselves behind at the break, and while they’d dragged themselves level momentarily through Kike García’s effort just after the hour mark, their comeback looked to be in vain as Borja Iglesias pounced after pinball in the penalty area.

For those who tuned into Atlético Madrid’s midweek thrashing of Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, the VAR check that followed will have sparked flashbacks to a lengthy review accompanied by a controversial outcome. Much like Pau Cubarsí at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Borja Iglesias was denied his goal due to an apparent offside – on this occasion, despite the ball having been played to him by an Espanyol defender.

Perhaps still understandably incensed by the decision, Celta Vigo crumbled defensively soon after when Tyrhys Dolan was afforded space to slot home a simple finish inside the box, providing something of a lifeline for an Espanyol side so desperately in need of a win to break their winless streak.

Still, one final twist at the RCDE Stadium saw Celta’s number seven avenge that earlier VAR intervention, stabbing home four minutes into stoppage time to salvage a draw that quite easily could have been more for the visitors.