In the absence of José Bordalás, coaching staff member Javi Vidal was the man in the dugout for Valencia CF’s game against CD Arenteiro in the Copa del Rey. He spoke about the 1-3 win in his post-match press conference.

A hard-fought victory

We had prepared well for the opposition. We knew about the ground, the place and the circumstances. The Copa del Rey is very difficult, and nothing is given away. The difficulty of obtaining each result is something that we have been warning about, but fortunately we were able to go through to the next round.

The step forward that Bordalás asked for

For us it is an obligation to get into the next round, as we are Valencia CF. This is a competition that we really like. The game was resolved at the end, in extra time, and we took the step forward that the coach was asking us for with his messages to the team. We are very happy.

A great atmosphere

Tonight there was a great footballing atmosphere, with the fans of the home team supporting their side. From my own experience, having been on the other side of things, these are games in which there is a lot of hope.

To what extent has Bordalás been present from a distance?

He has been present since the first day we started to prepare for the game. There is daily contact with the coaching staff. Today there was also contact during the game.