| Getafe (3) | Valencia (0) |
| Mauro Arambarri 39′ Jaime Mata 55′ Carles Alena 86′ |
Measure the volume of blood spilled in matches between LaLiga clubs, and Valencia vs Getafe will likely come up top – just see Gabriel Paulista’s head drenched in blood after the 2019 Copa Del Rey quarters.
Within 13 minutes of this LaLiga clash, Jose Gaya already had the red fluid gushing out from his lips after an elbow to the face. The Los Che captain, who usually bleeds Valencian orange, was making his 250th appearance for the club, but the occasion was sullied by a 0-3 reverse to a Getafe side who had lost the last 4 games.
We were hoping to snatch another win after stealing it from Celta Vigo, but the team never looked up for the fight. Getafe drew first blood instead with a 33-metre half-volley by midfielder Mauro Arambarri beating Jasper Cillessen, whose left wrist was just not robust enough to keep it out. This also happened to be their first shot on target in 3 matches.
The flow of the game in Madrid was clotted by constant fouling with 4 yellow cards in the first half. But the game ended in the 50th minute when Moucktar Diakhaby, back in the side after a hamstring injury, had a rush of blood to the head. Uros Racic sold Diakhaby short with a weak back pass, and the defender kicked the ankle of Nikola Maksimovic when he was through on goal. A clear red.
Five minutes later, Jaime Mata crushed hopes of a revival as he squeezed his shot through Cillessen’s legs, and it was lights out in the 86th minute when Getafe scored their 3rd goal.
The result left Gabriel in tears after the match. Nonetheless, he said: “We have to take things forward, we are Valencia.”
It’s been a bloodbath of a season for both teams who have finished the last two seasons within a position of each other. Instead of challenging for Europe, both are now staving off relegation. The loss leaves Los Che 14th now that Getafe have leapfrogged the team into 13th, level on points. Firmly rooted in the bottom half, the next match against regional rivals Villarreal will be bloody important.
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