Celta 1 - Deportivo La Coruña 0

Celta: Pinto; Angel, Tamas, Contreras, Placente; Pablo García (Iriney 63'); Antonio Nuñez (Jorge 76'), Canobbio, Gustavo López (Bamogo 70'); Baiano, Nené. 4-1-3-2.
Deportivo: Dudu Aouate; Coloccini, Lopo, Andrade, Capdevila; Duscher (Taborda 67'), Juan Rodríguez; Pablo Alvarez (Estoyanoff 61'), Iago (Verdú 46'), Riki; Adrián López. 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Celta: Pinto, Tamas, Pablo García, Antonio Nuñez for Esteban, Lequi, Iriney, Oubiña / Depor: Duscher, Juan Rodríguez, Pablo Alvarez, Iago, Riki for Estoyanoff, Sergio, De Guzman, Cristian, Arizmendi.

Goals:
1-0. 62. Baiano. Got on the end of Canobbio pass to turn ball past Aouate.

Hristo Stoichkov got off to the best possible start as the new coach of Celta, his side beating local rivals Deportivo 1-0 to move out of the relegation zone. The ex Barcelona forward and Bulgarian national coach was the surprise choice to replace Fernando Vázquez after he was sacked midweek, but he made an immediate effect and the Balaidos stadium was buzzing with optimism.

The Galicians had only won one game at home all season, but they bore down on their opponents goal right from the kick off, Baiano having a goal disallowed as the ball had gone out of play before Nené crossed in. Coloccini cleared off the line from Baiano with the keeper beaten, and Nené, Baiano and Tamas all had efforts blocked by Aouate and his defence before the break.

Caparrós brought on Verdú at the interval, and he tested Pinto for the first time with a long shot soon after the restart. And a quarter of an hour in to the second half Celta finally opened the scoring when Baiano turned Canobbio's driven cross wide of Aouate. After that Stoichkov ordered his men back to consolidate the result, and apart from a last minute effort from Adrián López they were hardly troubled. Hristo was back, and the club shop ran out of shirts with his name on within hours.