Justin Kluivert was of great value to Valencia on Saturday evening. The Dutchman managed to score the winning goal fifteen minutes before the end in the duel with Osasuna: 1-0. With the victory, the team of trainer Rubén Baraja has booked a crucial victory in the fight against relegation. Los Che climb to a provisional sixteenth place in LaLiga. Osasuna is eighth.
Valencia has been difficult to hit lately. However, the first major danger of the match came in the name of the club from the Dutch City. Mouctar Diakhaby towered over everyone, but saw his header hit the right post. A minute later, Kluivert showed up with a curled shot, which goalkeeper Sergio Herrera managed to deflect. The goalkeeper seemed to be sent off the field after more than twenty minutes, but after seeing the images, referee Javier Villanueva decided otherwise. Kluivert played well and was threatening as a left winger. For example, a through ball from the former Ajax player was barely intercepted and another dangerous moment led to a corner kick. Cenk Özkacar was close before the break with a corner kick, but his header just flew over.
????????????????! ???? The Dutchman provides with a ???????????????? goal for the lead against Osasuna! Is this the turnaround for Valencia?#ZiggoSport #LaLiga #ValenciaOsasuna pic.twitter.com/CMZK4q2TR2
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) March 11, 2023
After the break, Osasuna showed himself a bit more. For example, Jon Moncayola tried from a rebound, but his attempt lacked the necessary conviction. Chimy Ávila was also reached in a promising position. He had a shot that flew wide of the left post. The game mainly took place in the midfield in the second half, so opportunities remained scarce. In the 70th minute, Valencia claimed a penalty, which it did not get. Five minutes later, the supporters in Mestalla were still cheering. After a careless loss of possession by Osasuna, Valencia was able to counter. Lino brought the ball to Kluivert, who thought for a moment and then sent the ball hard into the short corner. Hugo Duro had the chance to make it 2-0 in injury time. However, the striker missed a penalty, which was awarded after a foul by Darko Brasanac on Thierry Correia.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | v | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 24 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 38 | 62 |
| 2 | RealMadrid | 25 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 56 |
| 3 | Atletico Madrid | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 45 |
| 4 | real society | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 44 |
| 5 | RealBetis | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 37 |
| 7 | Rayo Vallecano | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 35 |
| 8 | Osasuna | 25 | 9 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 34 |
| 9 | Athletic Club | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 33 |
| 10 | Real Majorca | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | -4 | 31 |
| 11 | Celta de Vigo | 25 | 8 | 7 | 10 | -5 | 31 |
| 12 | Girona | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 30 |
| 13 | Real Valladolid | 25 | 8 | 4 | 13 | -16 | 28 |
| 14 | Espanyol | 25 | 6 | 9 | 10 | -8 | 27 |
| 15 | Cadiz | 25 | 6 | 9 | 10 | -17 | 27 |
| 16 | valencia | 25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 26 |
| 17 | Getafe | 25 | 6 | 8 | 11 | -9 | 26 |
| 18 | Seville | 24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | -12 | 25 |
| 19 | Almeria | 24 | 7 | 4 | 13 | -14 | 25 |
| 20 | Elche | 25 | 2 | 7 | 16 | -30 | 13 |