Match Report: VCF stun pacesetters in Saturday showdown (2-0)

Valencia CF had a slow start to the game being pushed onto the back foot by the visitors right from the off with Valencia CF staying tight at the back keeping FC Barcelona quiet in the early going.

Valencia CF had a quick foray into the opposition box and Jose Luis Gayà was clipped down by Gerard Piqué and the referee awarded the penalty kick following a VAR check. Maximiliano Gómez stepped up but Marc- André Ter Stegen saved to his left.     

Moments later, Valencia CF had an exchange down the right-hand side through  Daniel Wass and Ferran Torres whose dangerous cross was nearly guided into his own net by Gerard Piqué however, it was scrambled over by Marc-André Ter Stegen.

Valencia CF grew in the game roared on by the home crowd enjoying a flurry of chances. First Maxi Gómez with a powerful effort turned onto the crossbar and  Kevin Gameiro on the follow-up forcing Marc-André Ter Stegen into another save at full stretch.

Then Kevin Gameiro who could not quick get on the end of it, his fellow Frenchman Geoffrey Kondogbia who delivered a dangerous ball across the six-yard box and Francis Coquelin who tried his luck from outside the box but the Geman stopper blocked his shot in a brilliant attacking spell on the half-hour mark.

The remainder of the half played out and the half-time whistle blew with nothing to separate the sides at half-time and all to play for in the second half with Valencia CF having the better chances in the way of danger.

Valencia CF had a perfect start to the game as Maxi Gómez broke the deadlock blasting the ball through which took a deflection off of Jordi Alba and beyond a stranded Marc André Ter Stegen and in it went three minutes into the second half.   

Gabriel Paulista produced heroics at the back making a goal-saving block to Lionel Messi’s effort to keep the scoreline at 1-0 as momentum swung in the visitors’favour in a more lively second half at Mestalla.

Jaume Domenéch produced heroics between the sticks with a superb flying save to keep out a Lionel Messi free-kick with little over twenty minutes plus stoppage time left to be played at Mestalla. 

Maximiliano Gómez double deepened  FC Barcelona and sent the Mestalla crowd delirious with a wonderfully dispatched ball into the bottom corner past Marc-André Ter Stegen following brilliant work down the right from Ferran Torres who did well to beat Umititi with a brilliant piece of skill and rolled it into the Uruguayan for the second.

Gabriel Paulista came close to making it three with a brilliant header but the Brazillian could not add a third as it was ruled out following a VAR review. The final whistle blew much to the joy of the home crowd.

Valencia CF stunned LaLiga pacesetters at home 12 years on in a pulsating game to stay unbeaten at Mestalla with shades of our previous win as hosts in Seville. Albert Celades’side will be back in midweek Copa del Rey action to visit Cultural Deportiva Leonesa on Wednesday at Reino de León at 7 pm kick-off time (local time) for their last 16 knockout tie.  

Match Details:

2. Valencia CF: Jaume Domènech, Wass, Garay, Gabriel Paulista, Gayà, Kondogbia, Coquelin, Ferran Torres, Carlos Soler (Sobrino, 90 '), Gameiro (Rodrigo, 58') and Maxi Gómez (Jaume Costa, 79 ') 

0. FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Arthur (Arturo Vidal, 55 '), De Jong (Rakitic, 85'), Griezmann, Messi, Ansu Fati (Collado, 85 ') .

Goals: 1-0 Maxi Gómez m. 47; 2-0 Maxi Gómez m. 76

Referee: Gil Manzano. He booked  Piqué, Umtiti, Busquets for FCB  and Coquelin for VCF.

Observations: Matchday 21 of LaLiga Santander played at Mestalla before 45,882 spectators.