Valencia 1-1 Levante
It’s a fine way to spend a Friday night watching the 28th top flight Valencia derby, and this La Liga game between Valencia vs Levante was a great return to action for Spanish football fans.
The Mestalla was empty but the players put on a fantastic show. And in a dramatic finale, Rodrigo scored to give Valencia a lead in the 87th minute before Gonzalo Melero slotted home the equaliser.
It’s a result which leaves Albert Celades team in seventh place in the La Liga table, while Levante move up to 12th.
The pre-match Valencia vs Levante betting odds had the draw at odds of 3.54 and in the end, the visitors, who had striker Roger Marti sent off and finished with ten men, deserved their point.
Highlights of the game
In a lively first half, Levante started brightly and had the first attempt on goal in the opening minute when Roger Marti took a pass from Enis Bardhi and had his shot from outside the penalty area charged down.
Marti started the game as La Liga’s joint third top scorer on 11 goals, with only Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema scoring more, and he was sniffing for a 12th from the off.
Both teams took a while to settle into the game but gradually Valencia started to dominate the ball.
Goncalo Guedes found space on the left side of the box to unleash a shot which Aitor Fernadez saved well. Skipper Dani Parejo was the next to set his sights with a free-kick but he fired his dead ball kick wide.
Valencia are chasing a European place and they began to pile on the pressure, and Carlos Soler came within inches of breaking the deadlock after a lighting attack by the hosts but his shot crashed back off the crossbar.
That’s one to watch on the Valencia vs Levante highlights. Levante came back and fired a warning shot when Ruben Rochina called Valencia keeper Jasper Cillessen into action with a long-range effort.
As half time approached, Cillessen was stretched and made a smart save low to his left when Rochina took a pass from Jose Campana and let fly again.
Levante finished the half strongly and Marti has a shot blocked when he met a cross from Bardhi. But at the other end, the post saved them again when Mouctar Diakhaby met a cross from Parejo but was denied by the upright.
The hosts were unlucky to go into the break without a goal. But when the second half began at a slower pace, Valencia boss Albert Celades brought on Kevin Gameiro and Daniel Wass to replace Maxi Gomez and Allessandro Florenzi.
Valencia began to move up through the gears and wing-back Jose Gaya put a tantalising ball across the six-yard box, but no one was there to convert the ball and then Goncalo Guedes flashed a shot over the bar. Then Aitor made a brilliant save to deny Rodrigo Moreno when the Valencia wide man fired a shot in from the right.
But Levante were still in the game with 20 minutes remaining and Bardhi put in a dangerous cross from the right which Wass cleared.
After such a bright start, Marti was becoming frustrated and he put in a reckless challenge on Hugo Guillamon and received his second yellow card.
Valencia had 15 minutes to win this game against the ten men of Levante and Gaya and Gameiro worked hard to try to create something, but the quality of the final ball wasn’t there and Celades made a final change bringing on Denis Cheryshev.
But it was the lively Gaya who created the opening, raiding down the left again and firing a ball across the six-yard box and Rodrigo gambled and diverted the ball home.
The hosts thought they’d won it. But seven minutes into injury time, Mouctar Diakhaby bundled Ruben Vezo to the floor and VAR awarded a penalty, which Melero duly converted.
Key statistics
This was a great result for Levante who had lost their last five away league games, and while Valencia have extended their unbeaten run in this derby at the Mestalla to 13, they will be disappointed.
It was an even encounter, with possession shared and Levante winning the shot count by 14 to 12 and four to three on target – a fine effort for a team which finished with ten men.
What’s next?
Valencia has a huge test up next with a visit to the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday to face Real Madrid.
Zinedine Zidane’s Los Blancos are in a two-horse race for the title, with two points behind Barcelona.
The latest SBOBET odds back Barca, but ZZ will push his team to the limits in an attempt to wrestle back the La Liga trophy.
Levante are a couple of wins or so away from survival for a third consecutive season and their next opportunity is an equally tough examination at home to high flying Sevilla, who got their resumption off to a flying start, beating Real Betis 2-0 with red hot striker Lucas Ocampos on the mark again.
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