Valencia beat Alaves 0-1 in LaLiga, Luis Rioja finishing late after Javi Guerra set him up. The visitors had waited through a scoreless first half and most of the second before the only goal arrived at Estadio de Mendizorroza.
Match Summary
The opening spell stayed tight. Valencia thought they had broken through when Arnaut Danjuma found the net around the 18th minute, but that effort was cancelled and did not count. Bookings followed for Javi Guerra and Antonio Blanco. José Luis García Vayá was shown a yellow as half-time neared, and the teams reached the interval still 0-0.
After the restart Alaves continued to look for a way through while Valencia picked up further cautions, Aaron Mayol and then Guido Rodríguez going into the book. The match finally turned in the 78th minute. Javi Guerra supplied Luis Rioja, who scored to put Valencia in front. Alaves, despite taking more shots across the contest, could not force an equalizer before the end.
Key Moments
Arnaut Danjuma's disallowed goal was the first real swing that never landed. Instead of an early Valencia lead, Alaves stayed level and the contest remained open for much of the match.
