Key Takeaways:
- Celta Vigo secured a 2-1 victory away at PAOK in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie
- Iago Aspas and Williot Swedberg found the net for Celta, as PAOK suffered their first home defeat in any competition this season
- PAOK, missing leading scorer Giorgos Giakoumakis, have now won just one of their last four games ahead of next week’s return leg in Galicia
Match Analysis
Celta Vigo took a significant step towards reaching the UEFA Europa League group stages by defeating PAOK 2-1 at Toumba Stadium in the first leg of their play-off tie. This result marked PAOK’s first home loss in any competition this season. Both clubs had finished level on points in the league phase, with Celta just ahead in 16th place after having beaten PAOK 3-1 in their earlier group stage meeting in October.
The Spanish side were on the front foot from the outset, generating the opening clear chances of the match. Captain Iago Aspas set up Williot Swedberg with a fine through-ball on two occasions, though PAOK goalkeeper Antonis Tsiftsis denied the Swede from close range both times. Oscar Mingueza also threatened for the visitors but was off target with a powerful strike from a difficult angle.
🏁 🏁 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 with a VICTORY!
A KING to storm the Greek temple 👑
Huge TEAM, huge FANS!#PAOKCelta ⋄ @EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/sBOyivLh19
— Celta English (@CeltaEnglish) February 19, 2026
Goals and Key Moments
The breakthrough arrived shortly after the half-hour mark. Following a PAOK clearance, Celta right-back Javi Rodriguez redirected the ball to Miguel Roman. Roman showed great flair to flick the ball over Magomed Ozdoyev’s head, setting up Iago Aspas to finish with composure and give the visitors the lead.
The visitors doubled their advantage nine minutes later. Roman was instrumental again, this time delivering a deft pass to Swedberg, who combined with Aspas before racing into the penalty area to convert the ensuing cross and put Celta 2-0 ahead. Sergio Carreira nearly added a third on the stroke of half-time, but his effort was ruled out for offside, securing Celta’s dominance at the interval.
Without suspended top scorer Giorgos Giakoumakis, PAOK struggled to muster any threat in front of goal until an hour had passed, at which point Alexander Jeremejeff finally forced Celta goalkeeper Ionut Radu into a save. Substitute Ferran Jutgla thought he had extended Celta’s lead, only to be denied by the offside flag.
Jeremejeff pulled a goal back for PAOK with a deft volley on the stretch to halve the deficit, this time avoiding the offside trap. Despite mounting pressure in the closing minutes, Celta managed to preserve their one-goal lead, thus ending a five-match winless streak across all competitions (D3, L2).
Statistical Overview
| Event | PAOK | Celta Vigo |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 1 | 2 |
| Goal scorers | Alexander Jeremejeff | Iago Aspas, Williot Swedberg |
Looking Ahead
Having won only one of their past four matches, and failing to score twice in that stretch, PAOK face an uphill battle as they look to overturn the deficit in the return fixture next week in Galicia. Celta Vigo, buoyed by their first win in six outings, take a slender advantage back to Spain as the tie remains finely poised.
