| Elche (0) | Valencia (1) |
| Goncalo Guedes 50′ |
Goncalo Guedes instinctively set off into acres of green grass once he saw Carlos Soler aiming over the defence. On and on the Portuguese went after taming his teammate’s pass. Just as he was sizing up to shoot, an Elche defender bundled him over.
But as Valencia fans have seen this season, our top scorer is not just a scorer of great goals – he has been a great goal scorer as well. The winger lost control and tumbled, crashing into the keeper along the way. And yet with a flick of his heel, Guedes got a crucial touch that sent the ball trickling over the line to seal a 1-0 win at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
That’s 11 league goals for Los Che’s number 7, who is having his best season in Spain. Jose Bordalas will be pleased to see the back of a wretched LaLiga run. His men now boast 4 victories and clean sheets in a 5-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
It was all the visitors could hope for after coming up against a plucky Elche team determined to halt our momentum. The first ominous sign came when VAR ruled out Hugo Guillamon’s strike within 10 minutes by a razor-thin margin, which seemed to galvanise the home side cheered by a raucous crowd.
Time and again Valencia failed to fashion meaningful chances, save for a Guedes effort that curled past the post as half-time approached. He made amends 5 minutes after the restart, forcing the goal under pressure. It wasn’t pretty, but nobody cared. Advantage Valencia.
Up the other end, there was still life in Elche. Valencianistas had their hearts in their mouths barely 15 minutes later when Los Franjiverdes had the ball in the net, but was eventually ruled out by VAR.
The Bats attempted to kill off the game with fresh legs and were yet again rightly adjudged to be offside when substitute Denis Cheryshev fired in from close range. A nervy finish ensued as several minutes of desperate defending thwarted the hosts at the death.
Frustrations boiled over, and Elche’s left-back Johan Mojica was sent off for dissent in injury time, giving Valencia much needed room to breathe. The sweet, sweet sound of the final whistle was the perfect end to Las Fallas week. Bordalas will be smiling after taking 10 points from a possible 12.
“The most important thing is that, in the end, we got the 3 points and continued the good run that we’ve had in the last 4 games in all competitions, with 3 wins and a draw. It’s very important that we continue like this, and try to move as high up the table as possible,” said Guedes.
With the international break upon us, Valencia must maintain this form going into the business end of the season. A win against Cadiz at Mestalla next month will be vital preparation for the Copa del Rey final.
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