Match Report: Home loss to FC Barcelona (1-4)

Valencia CF welcomed FC Barcelona on Sunday the 20th of February at 4:15 pm kick-off time at Mestalla on Matchday 25 of LaLiga Santander. 

Valencia CF started on the backfoot staying really compact at the back, putting pressure on the ball and looking to break forward at every opportunity in the early goings of the game at Mestalla.  

Valencia CF kept on trying to get a foothold in the game as the tempo fell off. Alas, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over the midway point of the first half. Two minutes later, Valencia CF had a goal wiped off for offside. 

Moments later, Frenkie de Jong made it 2-0 to FC Barcelona on the half-hour mark. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made it 3-0 to FC Barcelona in the closing minutes.  

However, Valencia CF  thought to have pulled one back through a Carlos Soler goal alas, the goal was ruled out as the ball was adjudged to have gone out of play in the buildup after a VAR review. 

Valencia CF trailed FC Barcelona by 3-0 at halftime. 

José Bordalás made a halftime substitution with Hugo Guillamón making way for Maxi Góméz as the same script followed in the opening stages of the second half. 

However, Valencia CF pulled one goal back following a pin-point Bryan Gil delivery which was brilliantly nodded home by Carlos Soler with an absolute bullet of a header beyond Marc-André Ter Stegen.     

The goal buoyed Valencia CF who settled into the game and were more intricate in the way of danger through Carlos Soler, one of Valencia CF’s main attacking outlets in the second half. Alas, it was short-lived as Pedri made it 4-1 to FC Barcelona over the hour mark.   

Valencia CF refused to back down and they came close to scoring after a series of corner kicks and they kept on pushing looking to half the arrears and bringing menace into the opposition box.    

Hugo Duro came close to pulling another goal back a second forced Marc-André Ter Stegen to turn it onto the post.  Valencia CF were turning the screws on FC Barcelona looking to reduce the scoreline in the closing stages of the second half.

The scoreline remained unchanged and Valencia CF fell to a 1-4 home loss to FC Barcelona.

Valencia CF will visit RCD Mallorca on Saturday, the 26th of February at 2 pm kick-off time at the Mallorca Estadi on Matchday 26 of LaLiga Santander.  

 MATCH DETAILS:

 1. VALENCIA CF: Mamardashvili, Foulquier, Diakhaby, Omar Alderete (Cömert, 85’), Gayà (Toni Lato, 66’), Hugo Guillamón (Maxi Gómez, 46’), Ilaix Moriba (Racic, 66’), Carlos Soler, Bryan Gil, Hugo Duro (Marcos André, 85’) and Guedes.

4. FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen, Sergiño Dest, Araujo, Eric García (Mingueza, 46’), Jordi Alba, Busquets, De Jong (Pedri, 59’), Dembele (Nico González, 71’), Ferran Torres, Gavi (Adama Traoré, 81’) and Aubameyang (Luuk de Jong, 82’).

GOALS: 0-1 Aubameyang, 23; 0-1 De Jong, 32; 0-1 Aubameyang, 38’; 1-3 Carlos Soler, 53; 1-4 Pedri, 63’.

REFEREE: Del Cerro Grande booked Jordi Alba, Ilaix Moriba, Hugo Duro, Nico González, Toni Lato, Carlos Soler.

OBSERVATIONS:Matchday 25 of LaLiga held at Mestalla. Noah Higón Bellver took honourary kick-off.