Valencia Defeat Ten Man Espanyol

Valencia eventually won three points against Espanyol on Saturday night, having thrown the proverbial kitchen sink at them for the duration of the game.

Valencia lined up in their usual formation, but the main talking point was the return to fitness of David Silva, who took his place on the bench.

Espanyol, meanwhile, chose Jose Callejón up front in place of the injured Raul Tamudo, and he was supported by Nené, Luis García and Rufete.

First Half

As expected, Valencia came out of the blocks and dominated from the first minute, with Espanyol barely able to get a touch on the ball. There was ample space on both flanks for the home side, and it was clear that this would be their main point of attack. The opening exchanges were characterized by a flurry of crosses by Los Che, but it was Espanyol who had the first chance, when Nené's shot from the left was well saved by Renan.

That chance was an aberration though, as Valencia continued to monopolise possession. It was, for all intents and purposes, Valencia vs Carlos Kameni, as the Cameroonian keeper was frequently called upon to save the day. Espanyol were powerless to stop Valencia's rampaging runs, but Los Che were not creating the amount of chances that their possession warranted. The final ball was lacking, but it seemed to be a mere matter of time before they got it right.

Still Valencia continued to press, but their profligacy was starting to look as though it might come back to haunt them. That proved to be the case on 28 minutes, when Espanyol scored with their first meaningful shot of the match. Valencia lost the ball to Roman Martinez on the half-way line, and the Argentine midfielder strode forwards in acres of space, before unleashing a shot towards goal. It took a wicked deflection off Raul Albiol and nestled into the top-right hand corner, leaving Renan with no chance and silencing the Mestalla in the process. It was an unfortunate way to concede, but Valencia had only themselves to blame for not converting their earlier chances.

The home team continued to press forward after conceding, but they did not genuinely look like putting the ball past Kameni. Then, on 38 minutes, the game took a twist when Rufete was inexplicably sent off after picking up his second yellow card. The referee was of the opinion that the ex-Valencia player had deliberately handled the ball, but replays showed his inference to be a frankly ridiculous one. Espanyol were now down to ten men, and there was no excuse left for Valencia not to claim some points from this game.

On 43 minutes, Juan Mata came closer than anyone before him had to equalising, but yet again, Kameni was alert and raced off his line to grab the ball off the forward's feet, after he had broken clear of the defence. The keeper was having an inspired game, and it was largely down to him that Espanyol went in to the break ahead.

Second Half

The second period started in similar vein to the first, with Valencia enjoying even more space due to the one-man advantage. They still looked toothless in attack though, and, sensing a chance, Unai Emery brought Fernando Morientes on for Manuel Fernandes barely five minutes into the half. Mane responded almost immediately by bringing Torrejon on for the goalscorer Martinez. If there was any doubt as to which half of the pitch the remainder of the match would be played in, these substitutions set the game up for an all-out Valencia attack.

On 57 minutes, Valencia finally found the back of the net, just when it looked like their efforts might be in vain. Espanyol failed to clear Mata's corner, and the ball found its way through a mass of heads to Raul Albiol, who volleyed expertly past Kameni. Sensing blood, Emery threw on David Silva, replacing the largely ineffective Joaquin.

By this point, Espanyol had given up all thoughts of attack, and were resigned to half an hour of intense defence. They would have taken a point before the match, and were determined to earn it. David Silva, while clearly not completely match-fit, added another dimension to the attack with his supreme vision. His combinations with Villa in particular were too much for Espanyol, but the attacks invariably broke down at the last second.

The game was being played almost exclusively in the Espanyol box, but as time ran out, the frustration among the home side was evident. With 15 minutes left, Emery made his last change, replacing Mata with Vicente. Again, Mane responded immediately, swapping Callejón with Valdo. While Valdo was technically the furthest man forward, he was really the tenth defender.

Valencia continued to press, and their persistence was finally rewarded with ten minutes left, when a flowing move ended with Vicente slotting home under Kameni. After some intricate build-up, the ball found its way to the super-sub virtually on the left touchline, and he coolly placed the ball under the keeper to send the crowd wild.

Having been on the back foot for so long, Espanyol were simply not equipped to change tempo and attack for the last five minutes. Predictably, Valencia held on to the ball and closed out the result.

Having been slaughtered last week, it was important for Valencia to pick up three points, and, despite the time it took, they will be pleased with their performance.

Espanyol, meanwhile, slip further into the drop zone, and it would take a brave man to bet against them playing in La Segunda next season.

Valencia 2-1 Espanyol
Raul Albiol 57 Roman Martinez 28
Vicente 80

Valencia: Renan - Miguel, Albiol, Marchena, Moretti - Albelda, Manuel Fernandes (Morientes 52) - Joaquín (David Silva 60), Baraja, Mata (Vicente 74), Villa

Espanyol: Kameni - Lacruz (Lola 84), Jarque, Pareja, Beranger - Hurtado, Martinez (Torrejon 55) - Rufete, Luis Garcia, Nene - Callejón (Valdo 74)

Yellow Cards: Rufete 10, Martinez 20, Manuel Fernandes 32, Lacruz 62, Pareja 92, Miguel 92

Red Cards: Rufete 38

Arjun Miglani, Goal.com



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