Fixtures and results round 21 La Liga
Barcelona and Real Madrid are competing fiercely at the top of the table, so both do not want to stumble to the opponent to take the lead. Therefore, Barcelona aims to win as a guest of Valencia.
... helped Barcelona avoid the goal at the beginning of the match
Setien’s army played quite well in the first half and created many clear opportunities. However, the ungainly of the attacking stars has prevented Barca from scoring.
In the second half, the lack of concentration in the defense made Barcelona pay the price. Maxi Gomez’s double helped Valencia win convincingly 2-0 at Mestalla.
Messi had a pretty faint game
The frustration of the Argentine
Barcelona still leads La Liga with 43 points, equal to Real Madrid. However, the position of the club of Catalonia will change, if "White Vultures" win points on a trip to the pitch of Valladolid tonight.
Barcelona used a familiar 4-3-3 formation with Busquets, De Jong, Arthur in the middle of the field, young talent Fati replaced Luis Suarez in the curved line with Messi, Griezmann. The first minutes took place at a high pace, both teams wanted to score early.
Coach Quique Setien was powerless on the training bench
Pique receives a yellow card after a foul
Barcelona dominated the time to control the ball and play actively. However, the Catalan team held many balls, but completely deadlocked in breaking through the concentrated defensive block according to Valencia’s 4-4-2 scheme.
In contrast, Valencia has a clear opportunity to eat from the counter-attack sharp, in the context of the Barcelona defense often make mistakes with people.
Messi and his teammates missed many opportunities
Maxi Gomez celebrated the opening goal of the match
Most significant was the situation in the 10th minute of the game, Gaya made a breakthrough on the left wing into the penalty area that made Pique fouled and Barca penalized. However, from the penalty spot, Maxi Gomez was unable to defeat Ter Stegen.
In the 30 minute, Maxi Gomez continued to move the ball from the left wing and cut it in like a heavy shot with the right foot. But again, Ter Stegen was the winner, as the German goalkeeper competed and took the initiative to punch the ball.
Barcelona were unable to score at Mestalla
Maxi Gomez completed a brace in the second half
However, Maxi Gomez’s powerful shot also made Ter Stegen a little wrong when his punch hit the ball and bounced off the bar. Valencia is showing sharpness in the counter-attack.
At the end of the first half, Soler headed the assist for Gameiro to launch a volley into the far corner. The shot was dangerous but lacking in force and Ter Stegen was still excellent with a beautiful save.
On the Barca side, the most notable finishing phase in the first half was Messi’s inaccurate free kick. Entering the second half, the drama was pushed up when Valencia suddenly had a goal in the 48th minute.
If the opportunity was better, Valencia would have won
Barcelona’s defense made many mistakes in this match
In a defensive situation, Maxi Gomez launched a shot from a narrow angle, but the ball hit Jordi Alba and changed the direction, causing Ter Stegen not to return. It is worth mentioning, this goal came at the right time when Barca raised the team to find the goal.
Barcelona had a good combination of situations in the middle, ending with a shot from Fati. After that, Barca surged on opponents. Messi was the center of the away ball, with consecutive shots in the 57, 68 and 73 minutes but failed.
Valencia has not beat Barcelona at Mestalla for the past 12 years
Barcelona risk losing the top of the table to Real Madrid
All three situations are quality shots, but either the ball misses the goal, or goalkeeper Domenech makes a brilliant save. This is a match that both goalkeepers play very well.
The highlight of the match in the 77th minute, still from a counterattack. Ferran hit the ball on the right flank and then stretched it to Maxi Gomez to fix the corner in the far corner, not giving Ter Stegen a chance to save, setting up a 2-0 victory for Valencia.
Squad
VALENCIA (4-4-2): Domenech; Wass, Garay, Gabriel, Gaya; Ferran Torres, Coquelin, Kondogbia, Soler (Sobrino 90); Gameiro (Rodrigo 59), Maxi Gomez (Jaume Costa 80)
Goals: Maxi Gomez 48, 77
BARCELONA (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Arthur (Vidal 56), Busquets, de Jong (Rakitic 85); Messi, Griezmann, Fati (Collado 85)
La Liga provisional standings
