The referee did not want to call a very clear penalty on Fran Pérez in the final stretch of the game and with Barça locked up in his area
Several Valencia players, complaining about an arbitration decision ALEJANDRO GARÍA
Valencia left Camp Nou empty, wasting the numerical superiority that they enjoyed for more than half an hour after Alberola Rojas decided not to signal a clear penalty from Kessié over Fran Pérez. Jaime Latre did not warn him either from the VAR in another bad performance by the Aragonese in charge of video arbitration that truncated the ‘Baraja effect’ and that leaves the Valencianists sunk in the penultimate position. The black and white team had many difficulties to speed up the game and generate imbalances for a Barça that defended very comfortably even after being left with one less due to the expulsion of Araújo, but when Rubén Baraja’s men managed to have their best internship, the referee threw him out a hand to the Barcelona fans to keep their income. The Castilian-La Mancha referee was crowned by whistling even more than ten seconds before time expired in the middle of a change of Valencian orientation. Valencia couldn’t score… nor did they let them.
The first part was a chase of shadows by Valencia, which they defended tooth and nail, but which practically did not threaten Barça. He tried it with several transitions in the first minutes, but the culés didn’t take long to turn their possession into a large-scale rondo. Xavi’s men approached with the ball and in the first crack left by the black and white team he dealt the first blow: the Valencian fans gave Busquets a lot of time to think and the ‘5’ put the ball behind the defense so that Raphinha headed a penalty for Mamardashvili’s mistake at the start and Vázquez’s throwing the offside line.
Lino laments before Ter Stegen ALEJANDRO GARCÍA
The goal anesthetized those of Baraja. Valencia continued to work to close spaces, but they gave their rival a lot of peace of mind, who touched the ball without problems and made any attempt at Valencian pressure useless. The team didn’t try their luck until after half an hour, having a shy shot on the head from Thierry Rendall. The clearest came from Samu Lino after an error by Ter Stegen at the start, but the Brazilian missed it with a very high shot despite the fact that his position was clear. Video | Sparks flew! Ferran prevented Ansu from taking the penalty and ended up missing it
Jaume Puig
The second half began as the first ended, with Barça commanding and Valencia instilling little fear. It didn’t take long for the local team to have the option of scoring the second after a few hands from Guillamón inside the area. Ferran Torres asked him for it, denying it to Ansu Fati, but he threw it out to leave his former team alive. The Valencian team replied with a lateral center that Hugo Duro finished off and which ran into the providential defensive action of Christensen.
A moment in which Alberola Rojas sent off Araujo ALEJANDRO GARCÍA WITH A DIRECT RED CARD
After the hour of play, Valencia was threatening Barça for the first time in the game and in a delivery to the back that Koundé ate, Ronald Araújo took the red for catching Duro being the last defender. Baraja’s team had half an hour ahead to try to get something positive with one more on the pitch, but the rival was able to numb the game and Valencia, on the other hand, had not quite been able to shake it up.
A clear penalty was not whistled on Fran Pérez
The clock was ticking and although Baraja’s team took possession of the ball thanks to superior numbers, their game was too predictable. Each player gave between three and four touches to the ball, facilitating the Blaugrana swing, who did not suffer at all to preserve their income. In one of the few dangerous actions, caused by Fran Pérez, the black and white team asked for a penalty from Kessié on the youth player, since the midfielder hit the heel of the Valencian player inside the area quite clearly, but Alberola Rojas decided not to. whistle it In the final rush the team tried to put several centers but did not find clarity in the shot.
