Valencia missed a great opportunity against Mallorca, which had run out of goals in the league, to secure a victory that would have ensured salvation and now, after losing 1–0, only in the final two days of the league. Two points have to be faced. On Sunday they will receive Espanyol in a crucial duel to ascertain a result at the bottom of the table and close the season, seven days later, at the Benito Villamarin, a poor place to arrive in the immediate aftermath.
There were too many minutes without any tension in the game. Mallorca has survived and it has been a long time since, without many incentives, it put down its revolutions. Valencia are still in danger of relegation, but that seemed to be over after a very unpleasant week with Vinicius due to the Mestalla incident – with a lot of friction in the offices and press, and without the support of stadiums on fire in the fight. Against Madrid – appeared far more languid than four days earlier in Son Moix.
The mess was still going on and just before the game, while both teams posed for photographs behind a banner promoted by CSD, RFEF and LaLiga that read “Racists, get out of football”, Valencia’s black defender Mouctor Diakhby, Decided to stand out and not appear in photos. A decision that has been interpreted as a protest to feel aggrieved: the Franco-Guinean defender condemned two seasons before being subjected to a racist insult by Cala during the Cadiz-Valencia match.
Both sides watched the minutes tick by without pangs, but also without worry. Two blunt teams that seemed to wake up at the end of the first half. Valencia, who moved without Cavani—he still doesn’t score in 2023—or Kluivert (before the day they barged into his house while his wife was at home), barely had a glimpse of Javi Guerra, each More established in day eleven.
Failure to clear the Mallorcan defense left Diego López in an excellent position to score. But a half-miss shot from the youth team scorer against Madrid ruined the best chance for Barja’s team. Mallorca felt threatened for the first time and, although Javier Aguirre surrounded Kang-in in the left lane, he woke up and started to create more threats. Amath almost had it at the end of the first half, although he made a similar pass to Diego López in the second half and usually ended up alone near the penalty spot.
The Mexican coach understood that the experiment had failed and brought Kang-in closer to the area where he was unbalanced. What Valencia was not aware of, however, was that Son Moix was the ideal field to secure their final deliverance. He did not dare to go straight for Mallorca. He lacked courage.
Baraj handed over the last half hour to Kluivert. He needed it as his 11 players weren’t making the cut and Mallorca were taking control, a dominance they got on the scoreboard with a goal from Muriqui, which he scored with a header after a manual cross from the area from Kang-in. where he scored. , Difference.
From that 64th minute, everything was up in Valencia, turning the tide of relegation again. Barja moved his lines and refreshed the eleven with changes, but he did not find the spaces. Kang-in, on the other hand, finds the perfect setting to show off in front of his former team. But Valencia had Kluivert and with him the chances always came. The best was his shot which was saved by Rajkovic with great intervention. Valencia gave themselves no more.
You can follow EL PAIS Sports Facebook And Twitteror sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter,
,