Alavésvs
ValenciaValencia came into Mendizorrotza having lost four straight, carrying the kind of form that makes even a home side nervous about dropping points. Our pre-match read made Alavés the favorite at 55% — and for most of the night, that looked right. Then Luis Rioja happened.
The winger's 78th-minute goal, set up by Javi Guerra, was the only moment of real clarity in a match that spent most of its 90 minutes grinding. Alavés had the better of the early chances — 15 shots in total, which tells you they were willing to have a go — but only three of them troubled the goalkeeper. Valencia, sitting on 56.7% of the ball, were patient to the point of passivity for long stretches, content to let the home side have the territory while they waited for something to open up.
It finally did, a dozen minutes from time. Javi Guerra, who had picked up a booking in the 21st minute after a tetchy early exchange that also cost Antonio Blanco a yellow, turned provider when it mattered most. His delivery found Rioja, and Rioja made no mistake. Qué golazo de situación — the right man in the right moment, on a night when neither side had looked particularly likely to break the deadlock.
A Fractious Middle
The card count tells part of the story. Valencia collected four yellows across the afternoon: Guerra in the 21st, Pepelu just before the break, Aaron Mayol in the 52nd, and Guido Rodríguez in the 61st. Fourteen fouls from the visitors against seven from Alavés — Valencia were scrapping, disrupting, doing whatever it took to keep themselves in the match while they waited for an opening.
Alavés will feel hard done by. They had more shots, more urgency in the final third, and the crowd behind them. But three shots on target from 15 attempts is the damning number — they created volume without creating danger, and Valencia's goalkeeper was only asked to make two saves all night.
Valencia's 'keeper was busier than that flatters: three saves from three shots on target for Alavés, though the visitors only managed the same number themselves. The difference, cabal, was that Valencia converted one of theirs.
Verdict
For Valencia, this is a lifeline. Four losses in a row is a stretch that starts conversations about deeper problems, and a 1-0 away win — however uncomfortable it looked — stops that bleeding for now. Whether they can build on it is the real question; the form coming in was dire, and one result doesn't fix a pattern.
For Alavés, this stings. They were the better team for long enough to deserve something, and they leave empty-handed. The pre-match read had them as favorites, and on the balance of the 90 minutes, it wasn't wrong — but football doesn't grade on effort.
Follow live scores and results across every major competition on the FutbolToday homepage, and find more analysis in our guides.