Madrid CFF extend perfect start with Valencia victory
Madrid CFF moved further clear at the top of the Primera División with a 3-1 win over Valencia at home. The visitors took a point from their opening fixture and didn't drop it again, while the hosts remain rooted to the bottom of the table after two defeats. And here's the thing — this wasn't a match that looked destined to finish this way when the first goal came.
H. Ubamba gave Valencia the lead in the fifteenth minute, and for a while it seemed the hosts might hold on. M. Rivas equalised for Madrid just before half-time, and then Holt made it 2-1 after the break. The third goal came from an own goal by Valencia's R. Lejeune in stoppage time, sealing the result.
To be fair, Madrid controlled the tempo from the forty-seventh minute when three Valencia substitutions came together. The hosts pushed for an equaliser but couldn't find a way through, and by then the momentum had shifted decisively. H. Ubamba was withdrawn in the sixty-fifth minute, a sign Valencia were running out of ideas.
The statistics tell the same story. Madrid had 61 per cent possession and 109 attacks to Valencia's 86, while their shot accuracy of 0.69 compared with 0.46 showed who was creating better chances. Valencia made 6 shots on target with 4 off target, but Madrid's 9 on target against just 1 off target meant their chances were far more clinical.
Valencia sit sixteenth after two losses from two games, with no points and a goal difference that won't improve quickly. Madrid are second with six points from two wins, and this victory extended their unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions. The gap between the two sides in the table has widened, and it's not going to close overnight.
Three yellow cards were shown in the final ten minutes — A. Gonzalez Rosa, A. Ruiz and M. Rivas — but the match was decided long before the tension built. Madrid proved they can win away from home, and Valencia have work to do if they want to avoid a difficult season.