Largie Ramazani’s great goal, a flower in the middle of the desert that the derby became, at the end of the game, gave Valencia a break. Carlos Corberán’s team triumphs at Levante’s home (0-2) and thus manages to climb four places in the standings after having started the match against Levante in relegation positions, where Luís Castro’s team remains, very displeased with the referee’s decisions.
0
Mathew Ryan, Adrián de la Fuente, Nacho Pérez (Paco Cortés, min. 77), Matías Moreno, Manu Sánchez, Kervin Arriaga, Iker Losada (Karl Etta Eyong, min. 68), Kareem Tunde, Pablo Martínez (Unai Vencedor, min. 77), Carlos Álvarez (Jon Olasagasti, min. 68) y Iván Romero (Carlos Espí, min. 68)
2
Stole Dimitrievski, César Tárrega, Eray Cömert (Baptiste Santamaría, min. 87), José Gayà, Unai Núñez, Pepelu (Guido Rodríguez, min. 57), Filip Ugrinic (Javi Guerra, min. 57), Luis Rioja, Largie Ramazani (Jesús Vázquez, min. 87), Hugo Duro (Umar Sadiq, min. 57) y Lucas Beltrán
Goals
0-1 min. 63: Ramazani. 0-2 min. 83: Sadiq
Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias
yellow cards
Filip Ugrinic (min. 17), Matías Moreno (min. 84), Vazquez Alcalde (min. 91), Kervin Arriaga (min. 93)
red cards
Kervin Arriaga (min. 93)
The first part was nonsense, but also 45 minutes in line with the current state of the neighbors. Two teams in panic and urgency, with the revolver of relegation pressing against their temples. , with the intention, at least, of having the ball, although then he didn’t know very well what to do with it. The most notable thing was a header from Iván Romero that didn’t even count because the referee ruled it offside. There were no more occasions.
A tedious bit for a match with more preview than chronicle. Levante dominated the ball but succumbed in the meters where teams become big or small. The territory where the stars shine or where the outfits become vulgar. There, ingenuity and technique rule, having deserted the Ciutat de Valencia. Levante and Valencia turned the derby into an event with more literature than football, an excuse to rescue the old quarrels between them or for the Granota fans to plot their revenge against Pepelu, considered a football turncoat for changing the Ciutat de Valencia for Mestalla. Unforgivable. A decision that cost him the entire field to sing “Pepelu is a rat” and whistle at him every time he touched the ball.
He barely had a speech on the grass. His play was desperately slow and unintentional. One more week they tilted their attacks to the right, where Lucas Beltrán, alongside Luis Rioja, lubricates the black and white offensive. Valencia football has become accustomed to seeking the opposing goal through the white boots of the Argentine from Córdoba. But Beltrán, dynamic and associative, is in Valencia and not in another place because he lacks the goal, the passport of the forwards to the greats and his team accuses him of that.
Ramazani, on the other side, is very far from Beltrán’s capabilities in a Valencia that is so afraid of losing that it is difficult for him to give himself over to creating chances that will take him somewhere. Because they started the game in the relegation zone, but a win catapulted them to the middle of the table. It was worth a try. Levante, who could not activate Carlos Álvarez, was asking for strength and before the break had even given up dominance in possession.
The Sevillian midfielder woke up after the break and began to look for ways around Valencia’s defense. His team automatically began to create more danger, although without much aim. We had to wait 65 minutes to see something brilliant on a tedious afternoon. This came after Sadiq, included in the game by Corberán to stir up the hornet’s nest, passed the ball to Luis Rioja with a backheel. The Andalusian extended the play towards the front, where Ramazani raised the ball with his right foot and finished it with his left into the corner of Ryan’s goal. While the Belgian was prancing around to celebrate the goal, Luis Rioja ran to the bench to dedicate it to Pepelu.
Levante then pushed Valencia towards their area. The tension increased with the score against and the players, Luís Castro and the public became indignant with Miguel Ángel Ortiz, especially when the referee did not call a foul in the action in which Sadiq stole the ball from Moreno to go alone towards Ryan and resolve with a good shot a play that sealed Valencia’s victory.
The tension continued after the final whistle, when Cömert grabbed the flag from one of the corners and ran towards the stands where the Valencia fans were. An action that outraged the public and gave rise to a brawl.
