Short-handed Getafe hand Valencia 1st La Liga defeat
Valencia, Dec 4 (IANS) Short-handed Getafe prevailed over second-placed Valencia 1-0, handing to the visitors their first defeat in the 2017-18 La Liga football season.
Markel Bergara’s 66th-minute strike proved to be the winner as Valencia on Sunday squandered an opportunity to narrow their five-point gap with La Liga leaders FC Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday, reports Efe.
Things seemed to get easier for Valencia in the 25th minute when Getafe’s Uruguayan midfielder, Mauro Arambarri, was sent off after being shown a second yellow card.
The decision came shortly after the assistant referee controversially annulled a goal by Getafe’s Amath Ndiaye Diedhiou for being offside.
However, ironically these decisions were a turning point for Getafe, not for the toothless Valencia.
Only Valencia’s Dani Parejo managed to threaten near Getafe’s net, firing three shots, all of which minder Vicente Guaita saved.
The 10-man Getafe controlled the rest of the first half, manufacturing a close scoring chance only to have Jorge Molina head one above the crossbar.
Getafe’s momentum continued after the break, although Angel Rodriguez squandered a chance to get the team on the board and out in front.
After a great effort, Jorge Molina passed the ball to Rodriguez, who fired a wide shot, 30 minutes to go before the injury time.
For a while, Valencia started to control the ball, only to concede a goal by Bergara, who fired a shot from outside the area that got past goalkeeper Norberto Murara Neto, a shot that proved to be the deciding factor in the win.