Valencia share the spoils in drab draw with Getafe

Getafe (0)	Valencia (0)

In the 97^th minute, Dimitri Foulquier had seen enough. Picking up a loose ball in midfield, the wing-back unleashed a shot from all of 50 yards that disappeared into the darkness of the night skies above Madrid.

That strike, borne out of frustration, was probably the most spectacular moment from a sterile Valencia side that shockingly had zero shots on target for 99 minutes. For a forward line that consisted of a Portuguese dynamo in red-hot form and the young twin talents of Bryan Gil and Hugo Duro, it was simply unfathomable.  

On a night where many anticipated an explosive game of football between two fierce rivals, few would have expected the mundane slog fest that unfolded at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. It was a game noted more for shirt tugging than shot taking – drab, dry and downright dull.

But one can understand why Jose Bordalas chose to play it safe against his former club, with the Bats getting thrashed in their last two visits to Getafe. This draw, however bland it was, stretches our unbeaten streak to 4 games now.

And at least it was characteristically feisty. The opening 5 minutes already saw 4 fouls being committed, with the talismanic Carlos Soler a frequent target for the Azulones as he repeatedly got bulldozed to the ground. He will be nursing a few bruises over the next couple of days.

Beyond the tackles, it was a match so devoid of action that the goalkeepers on both ends could probably afford to take a siesta. One nearly fell asleep too.

In the 70^th minute, Valencia had a lucky escape after Giorgio Marmadashvili’s casual clearance was deflected into goal by Borja Mayoral. But the goal was ruled out after VAR deemed that the Getafe number 25 had used his arm. The Georgian keeper could breathe again.

9 minutes of added time only served to prolong the pain – both sides had already decided to settle for a point long ago. Perhaps this was strategic on Bordalas’ part. With 10 league games left to play, every point will matter now. Let’s just hope the goals return against Elche next week.