In a gripping match at the Mestalla Stadium, Valencia and Elche played to a 1-1 draw in round 19 of La Liga.
Elche took the lead in the 74th minute with a goal from striker Grady Diangana. However, Valencia’s Pepelu made sure his team did not leave empty-handed by converting a penalty in the 85th minute to equalize.
Despite having more shots on goal, Valencia was unable to secure a victory, registering 5 shots on target and 9 off target. Meanwhile, Elche struggled with 5 shots on goal as well, reflecting the tight contest.
Pepelu stood out as the player of the match, scoring one goal, completing 35 accurate passes, winning back possession 6 times, and attempting 3 shots towards the goal.
Grady Diangana also played a crucial role for Elche, netting 1 goal and making 2 successful passes.
Valencia’s coach, Carlos Corberán, deployed a 4-5-1 formation with Stole Dimitrievski in goal; Thierry Correia, César Tárrega, José Copete, and José Luis Gayà forming the back line; and a midfield comprising Filip Ugrinic, Pepelu, Luis Rioja, André Almeida, and Diego López, with Lucas Beltrán upfront.
Elche, managed by Eder Sarabia, set up in a 4-4-2 formation. Matías Dituro guarded the net, defended by Álvaro Núñez, Víctor Chust, Pedro Bigas, and Léo Pétrot; a midfield quartet including Germán Valera, Martim Neto, Marc Aguado, and Aleix Febas; and forwards Alvaro Rodriguez and Yago Alonso.
The referee for this encounter was Miguel Ortiz Arias.
Following this draw, Valencia now sits with 17 points in 18th place on the league table, while Elche has amassed 23 points and occupies the 9th position.
Substitutions for Valencia
16’ 1T – Thierry Correia out for Dimitri Foulquier.
64’ 2T – André Almeida out for Arnaut Danjuma and Lucas Beltrán out for Umar Sadiq.
76’ 2T – Filip Ugrinic out for Largie Ramazani and Diego López out for Javi Guerra.
Yellow cards for Valencia:
48’ 2T Pepelu (Unsportsmanlike conduct).
Substitutions for Elche
59’ 2T – Yago Alonso out for Adam Boayar and Pedro Bigas out for David Affengruber.
73’ 2T – Álvaro Núñez out for Adriá Pedrosa and Martim Neto out for Grady Diangana.
82’ 2T – Aleix Febas out for Federico Redondo.
Yellow cards for Elche:
18’ 2T Álvaro Núñez (Unsportsmanlike conduct), 27’ 2T Víctor Chust (Unsportsmanlike conduct), and 49’ 2T Adriá Pedrosa (Holding a rival to prevent advancement).