Valencia lost a great opportunity, against a Mallorca that has run out of goals in the League, to achieve a victory that will ensure salvation and now, after falling 1-0, faces the last two days of the League with the relegation to only two points. On Sunday it will receive Espanyol in a crucial duel to know the outcome at the bottom of the classification and will close the season, seven days later, at the Benito Villamarín, bad place to arrive with urgency.
The match had too many minutes without tension. Mallorca is saved and it has been a long time since, without much incentive, it lowered its revolutions. Valencia still have the threat of relegation, but it seemed that, after a very unpleasant week due to the Mestalla incident with Vinicius – with too much friction in the offices and in the press, and without the backing of a stadium lit in the fight against Madrid – it appeared much more languid in Son Moix than four days ago.
The mess is still brewing and just before the game, while the two teams posed behind a banner, promoted by the CSD, the RFEF and LaLiga, in which it said "Racists, out of football", Mouctar Diakhaby, black defender of Valencia, decided to stand out and not be in the photo. A decision that has been interpreted as a protest for feeling aggrieved: the French-Guinean defender denounced two seasons ago having been the victim of racist insults by Cala during a Cádiz-Valencia match.
Both sides watched the minutes fall without suffering, but also without disturbing. Two teams without edge that seemed to wake up at the end of the first half. Valencia, which left without Cavani – still not scored in 2023 – or Kluivert (the day before they entered to rob his home while his wife was at home), barely had the branches of Javi Guerra, every day more settled in the eleven.
A failure in the clearance of the Mallorcan defense left Diego López in an unbeatable situation to score. But the semi-fault shot of the homegrown player, the scorer against Madrid, ruined the best opportunity of Baraja's team. Mallorca felt threatened for the first time and, although Javier Aguirre had cornered Kang-In in the left lane, he was awakened and began to create more danger. Amath had it near the end of the first half, although something similar happened to Diego López in the other area and finished loose when he was alone near the penalty spot.
The Mexican coach understood that the experiment had been a failure and brought Kang-In closer to the area, where it is unbalanced. Valencia, however, seemed unaware that Son Moix was the ideal field to tie their ultimate salvation. He did not dare to go head-on for Mallorca. He lacked courage.
Baraja gave the last half hour to Kluivert. He needed it because his 11 players did not bite and Mallorca was taking control, a dominance that raised to the scoreboard with the goal of Muriqi, who scored with a header after a manual center of Kang-In from the area where he makes the difference.
From that minute 64, everything was rushed in Valencia, which saw the tide of relegation rise again. Baraja advanced his lines and refreshed the eleven with the changes, but still did not find the spaces. Kang-In, on the other hand, found himself with the perfect scenario to show off against his former team. But Valencia had Kluivert and with him the chances always come. The best was a shot of his that Rajkovic saved with a great intervention. Valencia did not give more of itself.
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