Valencia achieved a tie on Monday that allows them to leave the relegation zone, thanks to a penalty goal by Justin Kluivert (m.82) against Rayo Vallecano, who went ahead through Santi Comesaña (m.9) in a great first part that was opposed to the second, where the valencianistas dominated overwhelmingly, although without success in the definition.
Rayo Vallecano stepped hard this Monday at Mestalla, where Andoni Iraola’s team was intense in executing their plan: getting into the area with few and quick actions to surprise a Valencia that was pressing high up.
The tactic took effect from the first bars, in which they dominated Valencia advancing through the wings, where the locals were incapable of offering resistance and, in one of those climbs, Ãlvaro GarcÃa crossed into the area, where Comesaña finished off free of mark to overtake to the strip in the ninth minute before the disbelief of the Valencianistas, who were out of the game.
The ball didn’t last long for Rubén Baraja’s team, whose inaccuracy in the last few meters prevented them from creating dangerous chances until in the twenty-fifth minute Gayà put a measured cross to the far post for Kluivert, who crashed the leather into the post.
Valencia, obfuscated in advancing through the center, could not overcome the iron and high pressure line of the rayistas, who began to suffer when the locals focused on attacking on the left wing of Gayà , who once again put up a great cross to Lino, who finished off wide.
The last ten minutes were an exercise in grit and drive for the Valencian team, who went unsuccessfully in search of an equalizer and finished the first half without Nico, who was replaced with an injury by Yunus during the break.
After the break, Valencia tried it on Thierry’s right wing, but they ran into their own reality again, the lack of a goal. Meanwhile, Rayo survived calmly with the ineffectiveness of Baraja’s men, who brought on Castillejo and Hugo Duro to look for a tie, who revolutionized the game.
Rayo stopped being calm before a Valencia that was growing in a Mestalla that pressed and questioned each referee’s decision, but, despite the siege, Andoni Iraola’s team managed to thwart each cross. In the 77th minute, Dimitrievski gave Kluivert a great hand to avoid the tie, but Valencia kept pressing until in the 80th minute they saw their effort rewarded with a penalty from Balliu’s hand, after notifying the VAR to the referee.
Kluivert, calmly, beat Dimitrievski to tie a match in which Mamardashvili had to intervene to save a strong shot from Salvi and which lasted until 98 without further variations despite the final attempts by both squads to take the three points.
