Match Report: Valencia CF return to winning ways with home win over Real Sociedad (1-0)

Valencia CF welcomed Real Sociedad on Saturday 25th of February at 9 pm kick-off time on Matchday 23 of LaLiga. 

The game saw an intense and positive start at both ends in the early goings of the first half with Valencia CF tussling for the ball and looking to break forward at every with much more bite about them. 

The first Valencia CF chance fell to Yunus Musah halfway through the first half who tried his luck after collecting a loose ball off of Dimitri Foulquier and slicing his effort over the crossbar. Minutes later Hugo Duro headed the ball straight at Remiro. 

Valencia CF showed their defensive stalls as they settled into the game throughout a cagey spell over the half-hour mark. 

Valencia CF found themselves  1-0 up through an Igor Zubeldia own goal after the defender slid the ball into the back of his own net following a Samuel Lino square ball into Hugo Duro’s path  in the closing minutes of the second half.    

 The first half finished 1-0 for Valencia CF.

Rubén Baraja made a like-for-like half-time substitution at the heart of the Valencia CF defence with Eray Cömert replacing Gabriel Paulista.  

Valencia CF had a penalty call overturned in the opening minutes of the second half after Giorgi Mamardashvili produced heroics with a scintillating save to deny Le Normand an early equaliser.    

Samu Castillejo came close to doubling Valencia CF’s lead with a double chance first Remiro managed to scramble the ball away and then his second effort took a slight deflection on a Real Sociedad defender. 

Valencia CF got a foothold in the second half on the hour mark which saw the return of Thierry Correia after a lengthy spell on the sidelines who replaced Samu Castillejo. 

Samuel Lino kept probing down the wing as he skipped past two Real Sociedad players and his delivery almost found Thierry who was lurking at the back post with twenty minutes plus stoppage time left to go.   

Rubén Baraja made a double substitution, and Toni Lato and Yunus Musah made way for Jesús Vázquez and Ilax Moriba. Jesús Vázquez made an instant impact forcing Remiro into a superb save to deny Valencia CF the second goal following a fine solo move.  

Minutes later, Samuel Lino came close to sealing a long-awaited win, but he was denied by the post.  

Valencia CF managed to hold out for the remainder of the game to collect a long-awaited and much-needed home win buoyed by their twelfth man who we right behind them from the get-go.   

Valencia CF will travel to the Camp Nou to take on FC Barcelona on Sunday the 5th of March at 4:15 pm kick-off time on Matchday 24 of LaLiga.  

MATCH SHEET:

VALENCIA CF: Mamardashvili, Foulquier, Gabriel Paulista (Cömert, 46'), Diakhaby, Lato (Jesús Vázquez, 77'), Hugo Guillamón, André Almeida (Cenk, 90'), Yunus Musah (Ilaix Moriba, 77'), Samuel Lino, Samu Castillejo (Thierry Rendall, 63') and Hugo Duro.

0. REAL SOCIEDAD: Remiro, Barrenet (Sola, 46'), Zubeldia, Le Normand, Rico, Zubimendi, Take Kubo (Carlos Fernández, 73'), Brais Méndez (Illarramendi, 73'), Merino, Oyarzabal and Sorloth.

GOALS: 1-0 Zubeldia (OG) 40'.

REFEREE: Hernández Hernández. Booked fo Zubimendi, Foulquier, Diego Rico, Yunus Musah, Samu Castillejo, Lato, and Mamardashvili.

VAR: González González.

OBSERVATIONS: Matchday 23 of LaLiga held at Mestalla.