Celta 1 - Villarreal 0

Celta: Cavallero; Velasco, Djorovic, Cáceres, Juanfran; Jayo, Giovanella; Edu (Tomás 85'), Mostovoi, Gustavo López (Jesuli 46'); Catanha (Pablo Couñago 94'). 4-2-3-1.
Villarreal: López Vallejo; Galván, Quique Alvarez, Berruet, Arruabarrena; Jorge López, Amor, Javier Gracia (Moisés 95'), Escoda (Craioveanu 70'); Víctor, Palermo. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Celta: Djorovic for Berizzo / Villarreal: Galván, Quique Alvarez for Xavi Roca, Quique Medina.

Goals:
1-0. 81. Mostovoi (penalty). After Arruabarrena ruled to have charged down Jesuli.

A controversial late penalty took Celta to within a point of qualifying for the UEFA cup competition next season and left Villarreal out of the running. The incident occurred ten minutes from the end of an even match, when Jesuli went over in the penalty area after a bustling challenge by Arruabarrena. Prados García deliberated for a full five minutes and Villarreal had put the ball back in play before the referee stopped everything and went back to talk to his linesman. After another long discussion he theatrically pointed to the penalty spot, and Mostovoi stepped up to crash the ball past López Vallejo for the three points. After that the game descended into chaos, with Villarreal manager Víctor Muñoz picking up his fifth yellow card of the season for protesting the referee's decision rather too heatedly, and with nerves on edge Berruet got himself sent off after walking all over Catanha, earning a four match ban for his troubles.

Up to that point it had been a tactical battle between the two Víctors, Fernández and Muñoz, with both managers not willing to risk too much to leave themselves with a chance of something going in to the last day. Mostovoi was the home side's best player in the first half, but Catanha has lost his form recently and he was not able to convert any of the chances the Tzar created for him in the first 45 minutes. At the other end Víctor (the player that is) went closest with a couple of shots as the game swung from end to end. Fernández replaced Gustavo López with Jesuli at the break, and the young winger made inroads down the left wing without being able to finish off. Mostovoi hit a post with a close range shot, and the visitors replied through Palermo, who put a header just wide.

In the end though the honours went to Celta, and they only have to draw next week at Zaragoza to be sure of a place in Europe again. They are also still in the cup semi-finals, which are played after the season ends, and Villarreal hope that the Gallicians or possibly Barcelona (if they end up in fifth place) win the competition. Under the competition rules in Spain, the cup winners take the third UEFA spot along with fifth and sixth in the league. However, if the victors have already qualified for the UEFA cup through their league placing, the seventh placed team in the league goes in to the competition. This is not the case though if the winners have qualified for the Champions League, in which case the runners up in the cup get the third UEFA cup spot. Failing all that, Villarreal still have a chance of a back door entry to Europe through the Intertoto cup, although that starts in July when the players are on holiday, and Víctor Muñoz is not too keen. All doubts will be cleared up in two weeks time.