Celta look to Valencia 2014 miracle as Europa League hopes hang by a thread | OneFootball

Celta de Vigo are on the brink of a UEFA Europa League exit after a 3-0 first-leg defeat at Freiburg, yet history offers a thin lifeline.

Freiburg were two up inside 30 minutes and closed out a commanding 3-0 in Germany. Opta reports that seven of 29 teams to trail by three goals have advanced in Europe, and that 24% of Spanish sides in that position did so at home.

Beyond Celta’s probable elimination, LaLiga’s extra Champions League place is now under serious threat.

The last Spanish comeback of this scale came from Valencia in 2014, when Paco Alcácer led a tie-turning display with a hat-trick.

It was 2-0 by half-time through Alcácer and Eduardo Vargas. Pizzi’s side needed one more to level the tie, which Alcácer supplied on 70 to force extra time.

Extra time was tempestuous, with nine cards shown, including a straight red for Díaz and a second yellow for Saura, as the Swiss side struggled to stem Valencia’s momentum.

Alcácer struck in the 114th minute and Juan Bernat added another in the 118th to seal a historic 5-0 and progression.

Whether Celta can emulate Valencia, and whether Borja Iglesias, Alcácer’s former youth team-mate at Valencia, can mirror that scoring, will be known on Thursday 16 April.

Source: Superdeporte