Nolito struck a 77th-minute winner as 10-man Celta Vigo twice came from behind to beat Espanyol 3-2 on the final day of the La Liga season this evening.
Only the incentive of a top-half finish was on offer for both sides prior to kickoff, with ninth-placed Espanyol one point clear of Celta in 11th.
It was Espanyol who made significant inroads toward securing their top-10 place when Christian Stuani fired them ahead from the penalty spot on 23 minutes, after goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez was sent off.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, going down to 10 men seemed to spur on Eduardo Berizzo's side, with Augusto Fernandez forcing Kiko Casilla into a fine fingertip save, before the goalkeeper replicated his heroics to deny Fabian Orellana.
Both opportunities proved a sign of things to come, however, as Hugo Mallo headed Celta level on 38 minutes as the sides shared the spoils at half time.
Nevertheless, their hard work was wasted just three minutes after the restart when Stuani grabbed his second of the afternoon - and fourth in three games - by cleverly dinking over the stranded Ruben Blanco.
The pendulum swung back in favour of the hosts on the hour mark as Gustavo Cabral levelled matters once again, before Nolito struck 13 minutes from the end as Celta secured a finish in the top half.
Shane Callaghan
