If the game is played in February it ends with sent off left and right. But it is summer and with the friendly tagline, almost anything goes. Valencia and Levante dedicated themselves to giving themselves tow in a first time that ended with two tanganas (Burlamaqui / Soldier and Campaign / Correia), hard tackles, snags, blows, angry protests and everything you can expect in a derby … where the stakes are high. In a friendly it makes little sense, but when things heats up, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing the World Cup final than the cookie trophy.
Between kick, hit, push and so on, two teams appeared with powerful arrival and defensive problems. Levante had it with Soldier. The forward was left alone before Mamardashvili in a great offensive action of the team. The goalkeeper beat him heads-up, proving once again that he is here to stay. In Valencia the author of the occasions was Maxi. He had one, which he threw inches from the post as soon as he started, then he crashed a perfect hit (of a high quality) on the crossbar and finally missed a measured center of Jason (the Galician has taken over the right wing), which Gayà swept and made Cardenas.
After going through the changing rooms, it seemed that things were going to calm down. But it was a mirage. the blows began again until the expulsion of Malsa. A blow with Burlamaqui, the foul was from the Valencian player, ended with yellow for the granota. He protested to the referee who ended up kicking him out. The fight reached the bench and Campaña (already substituted) and Paco López had more than words with the referee. Again varied tanganas and some dangerous entry out of place.
The game? poor. Maxi had the goal in his boots again and again Cárdenas took a good shot from him. With numerical superiority, Valencia inclined the field more towards the granota goalkeeper. And there came the goal. A great center from Gayà from a lateral foul finished him off Alderete (the second of the center-back) ahead of a Vezo who missed the mark. After the goal against, Paco López’s men tried with ten. Dani Gómez and Morales had arrivals that they could not materialize.
DATA SHEET
Stadium Antonio Puchades (Valencia)
VALENCIA (1) Mamardashvili; Correia, Alderete, Diakhaby, Vázquez; Guillamón, Burlamaqui (A), Jason, Gayá; Guedes and Maxi Gómez. They also played: Paulista, Sobrino, Cheryshev, Vallejo, López, Guerra and Menargues (A)
Coach Jose Bordalás
LIFT (0): Cárdenas (A); They are, Pier, Vezo, Clerc; Radoja (A), Campaña, Bardhi, De Frutos, Roger and Soldado. They also played: Morales, Malsa (R) Dani Gómez, Postigo (A) ;, Miramón, Melero and Pablo Martínez, Coke, Cantero.
Coach Paco Lopez
Goals 1-0 70 ‘Alderete
Referee: Ais Reig (Valencian)
