| Valencia (2) | Granada (0) |
| Daniel Wass 74′ Ferran Torres 90’+7 |
Deep into stoppage time and your team is up a goal. Your legs have become lead and every sprint causes your muscles to burn. For most players, it would have been an easy thing to run down the clock by passing the ball around.
But Ferran Torres sensed an opportunity. Having already tormented Granada’s defence the whole evening with his dribbling and persistent chasing, Ferran embarked on another slaloming run from his own half that ended with the ball rippling the back of the net.
Call it hunger, passion or just the exuberance of youth. Whatever it was, it was damn good. The goal and performance was even sweeter given that Torres was born and bred in Valencia.
The crowd agreed. They roared, pumped their fists in the air and chanted his name as the Mestalla faithful found a new idol from within, a boy they could call their own. Valencia chief Anil Murthy also probably sighed from relief, with his emphasis on the academy and youth paying off.
The 2-0 win over Granada, who have not beaten Valencia since 1975, capped off a fine week for Los Che, marking a third consecutive win. The three points brought the Bats up to 7th place and within a point of the Champions League spot.
Granada held top spot just two weeks ago and dispatched champions Barcelona along the way. But the raucous crowd paid no heed to their giant-killing exploits. Valencia were imperious at home, losing only once in 19 league games.
Still, the away side took the game to the hosts, with the trickery of top scorer Antonio Puertas causing a few moments of confusion.
Valencia retaliated with the lively Torres, whose own skills bedazzled the fans as he regularly took on his man rather than look for a safe pass.
However, both sides’ attack remained limp in the first half and neither were in danger of conceding – or scoring.
Coach Albert Celades was forced into a change 10 minutes before half-time as he brought on Jaume Costa for the injured Geoffrey Kondogbia, shifting Danish utility man Daniel Wass to the middle of the park.
The move, however, turned into a boon as Wass brought more mobility alongside captain Dani Parejo, who had been the team’s main orchestrator.
The increased fluidity looked to have paid off when Parejo slotted home from Ferran’s pass in the 56th minute.
The Mestalla’s wild celebrations were dramatically cut short as VAR ruled out the goal – Maxi Gomez had impeded opposing keeper Rui Silva.
Wass, who had the chance to showcase his passing range, blasted the ball in from close range in the 74th minute from substitute Kevin Gameiro’s cross.
The celebrations nearly turned sour with a second nervy VAR check. But the goal was given after the referee ruled that although he was in an offside position, Gomez did not interfere with play.
Torres then wrapped up the game with his late second in as many games, a form that coincides with his team’s ascendancy.
Said goalscorer Wass: “These three points before the international break are very important. This has been a big week, with three wins over Espanyol, Lille and now Granada.”
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