Villarreal 0-0 Valencia
It’s still not happening for Villarreal and Valencia in La Liga as neither attack had the guile to break down two stubborn defences.
The 18,000 fans at El Madrigal were served up a game full of effort, but SBOBET football supporters will see much better from both these teams as the season progresses. Javier Calleja’s Villarreal will feel the more frustrated of the two, at home and with half an hour against ten men after Valencia captain Daniel Parejo received his marching orders.
It was a decent point for the visitors, in the end, but Valencia’s coach Marcelino knows only too well the Mestalla crowd can be unforgiving, as can the Valencia trigger happy owners. He needs to move his team up the table, and quickly.
Highlights of the game
The Yellow Submarine had suffered a surprise home defeat to Girona in recent weeks and failed to put away Scottish league team Rangers in the Europa League earlier this week. The La Liga 2018 betting markets expect more from Villarreal so
it was important to Calleja that his team came out in a positive mood. And so it seemed, as they went on the attack from the whistle and Carlos Bacca had the first shot in the second minute, but it was charged down by the ready Valencia defence.
The visitors didn’t sit back though and Ferran Torres put a dangerous ball into the Villarreal box but Jose Gaya’s header flew across the face of the goal and wide. Daniel Pareja crossed a decent ball from a corner which Gabriel also nodded wide and the lively Torres found Kevin Gameiro but the striker’s shot was blocked.
As the game swung from end to end Bacca teed up Miguel Layun, but again the Valencia defence held firm, and Mario Gaspar came close for the hosts from a tight angle.
Russia World Cup hero Denis Cheryshev then got in the act for Valencia, but his shot too missed the target. And then back at the other end, Layun crossed for Alvaro Gonzalez but his close-range header was cleared to make it a goalless first half.
The odds swung in Villarreal’s favour on the hour, when Valencia skipper Daniel Parejo committed a nasty foul on Ramiro Funes Mori and received a red card for his trouble. Parejo’s always a big player for the Mestalla outfit and that lifted the home crowd. And the hosts almost took advantage immediately when Gerard Moreno passed to Carlos Bacca whose shot from close range was brilliantly saved by keeper Neto.
Calleja brought on ex-Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla in an attempt to unlock the Valencia defence while in attack Cheryshev saw a fine effort from distance saved.
As the time ticked away the Yellow Submarine had a flurry of corners and in the dying minutes Karl Toko Ekambi and Funes Mori both had attempts desperately cleared by the Valencia rearguard, and Layun had one more effort which he blasted over.
Villarreal had kept on knocking but they simply couldn’t open the door as the ten men held firm.
Key Statistics
In a first half lacking in quality but no little effort the game was well balanced with the possession shared equally and Valencia had six shots to Villarreal’s five, but no-one managed to get a shot on target.
When Valencia went down to ten men the hosts saw more of the ball, ending up with 55 per cent but the two teams only mustered three shots on target between them. All credit to the defences though, as 12 shots were blocked to give the two keepers a relatively quiet afternoon.
After such a good season Valencia started the day in the drop zone and lost their Champions League opener to Juventus, despite Cristiano Ronaldo getting sent off. They are out of the relegation places but the pressure is still on, while Villarreal is still in the bottom half.
What’s next?
Both these teams lost key players over the summer and it shows. They are lacking a spark at the moment, but still have enough quality in their ranks to climb the table.
Villarreal visits Athletic Bilbao next, before hosting Real Valladolid. The La Liga newcomers have had a difficult start and the Yellow Submarine should have too much for them.
And Valencia has a big week coming up with a match at the Mestalla when Celta Vigo visits, before an away clash against Real Sociedad, and you can keep up with all the La Liga 2018 updates right here at SBOBET.
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