Valencia 1-1 Sevilla
Sevilla missed their chance to go level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga as they could only draw with Valencia 1-1 at the Mestalla.
As predicted in the SBOBET preview of this match, it was a tight and cagey affair between two evenly-matched sides. Los Rojiblancos took the lead in first-half stoppage time, but Valencia managed to salvage a point at home with a late equaliser.
Considering Los Che’s current struggles, picking up a point against one of the top five sides in the table isn’t the worst result in the world.
As for Sevilla, they will be somewhat disappointed not to hold on to take all three points and snap their recent Mestalla hoodoo. As a result, they’ve missed the opportunity to tie Barcelona, who will play their game in hand against Levante over the weekend.
Highlights of the game
Valencia and Sevilla produced very few clear-cut goalscoring opportunities throughout the match. But the hosts had the more notable chances in the early going, and they came through corners.
On the 13th minute, Carlos Soler’s header from the near post sailed over the bar. And shortly thereafter, Gabriel Paulista also couldn’t get his header on target.
Maxi Gomez, who started up front with Rodrigo suspended, had another headed chance for Valencia following a cross from Lee Kang-In. But the Sevilla defender did enough to put the striker off.
Valencia’s best chance of the half fell to Lee on 20 minutes. Ferran Torres supplied a great ball to Lee, who was unmarked from 13 yards out. Unfortunately, the South Korean was unable to keep his volley down.
But for all of Valencia’s dominance in the first half, it was Sevilla who took the lead against the run of play during first-half stoppage time.
Fernando picked out an unmarked Lucas Ocampos just inside the penalty area, and the Argentine coolly slotted past Valencia keeper Jasper Cillissen to give Sevilla a shock lead.
Valencia very nearly hit back just three minutes into the second half. Lee and Maxi Gomez combined once again as the South Korean supplied a terrific through ball to his strike partner. But Tomas Vaclik produced a brilliant save to keep out the Valencia striker’s shot, which was destined for the bottom corner.
The hosts continued to pour on the pressure in search of an equaliser, but they were nearly caught out on the break. Ocampos had another opportunity on goal, although his decision to shoot from a tight angle instead of laying it off to one of his team-mates was not the best.
Valencia’s persistence eventually paid off as they got their equaliser on 81 minutes. Ruben Sobrino rose highest to head home Dani Parejo’s free-kick. Sevilla’s marking was sloppy as they allowed the Valencia substitute to meet the ball with little resistance.
Sobrino also had the last chance of the game deep into stoppage time, but Vaclik was on hand to make the save which preserved a point for the visitors.
Key statistics
Valencia and Sevilla are arguably the two best sides in La Liga outside of the established top three, but their matchup produced very little La Liga 2019 highlights. They combined for 20 shots but just four of them were on target.
Ocampos was the brightest attacking player in the match. He had four of the team’s 10 shots and also had their lone shot on target, which was their goal.
With this draw, Valencia have now gone six matches unbeaten against Sevilla (three wins, three draws). Moreover, they’ve also extended their unbeaten run at the Mestalla against Sevilla to eight matches (five wins, three draws).
As for Valencia, they’ve now gone three matches without a win in La Liga and have won just two of their last nine (five draws, two losses). They’ve also drawn four of their six home league matches.
What’s next?
Valencia will go in search of a much-needed win when they visit struggling Espanyol this weekend. The Catalans are currently second from bottom in the table, so the La Liga 2019 odds will likely fancy a Valencia victory in that matchup.
As for Sevilla, they will have a much tougher assignment as they face the other Rojiblancos, Atletico Madrid. Atleti have been stalemate specialists of late, drawing five of their last seven matches in La Liga. They also drew both matches against Sevilla last season, so this could be yet another tight affair.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
