Thierno Barry of Villarreal celebrates after scoring a goal against Celta Vigo in a La Liga match at the Estadio de la Ceramica in Villarreal, Spain, August 26, 2024. /CFP
Dani Parejo scored in the 10th minute of stoppage time to give Villarreal a 4-3 win over Celta Vigo on Monday, in one of the most entertaining and eventful games so far in the 2024-25 Spanish La Liga season.
Parejo saw his late penalty saved by Ivan Villar, but converted the rebound to secure the win in a game that saw the home side twice come from behind and then give up the lead, before claiming victory at the very end.
The result lifted Villarreal to the top of the Spanish league table with seven points from three games, one ahead of Celta and Barcelona, who have played one less game.
Celta were one of the only two teams to win their first two league games, and went ahead after 11 minutes when Borja Iglesias took advantage of sloppy goalkeeping, but Sergi Cardona equalized 15 minutes later by slamming home a corner that was nodded across goal by Gerard Moreno.
Oscar Mingueza continued his recent fine form by putting Celta back in front after half an hour with a low 30-yard free kick.
Then new signing Thierno Barry, who joined last week from Basel, headed home with his first touch of the ball only a minute after coming on as a substitute.
An own goal from Jailson gave Villarreal the lead until Carl Starfelt made it 3-3 with 10 minutes remaining.
Both sides pushed for a winner and Celta hit the post before the referee awarded a penalty to Villarreal for a foul on Barry.
"If you have to lose then that's the way," Iglesias said. "The fans must have enjoyed that game."