Valencia Secures Sixth Unbeaten Game with a Narrow Win Over Sevilla

Valencia extended their unbeaten streak to six matches by clinching a 1-0 victory against Sevilla in La Liga, pushing them nine points above the relegation zone. The visitors came out strong in the first half, with Albert Sambi Lokonga quickly testing Giorgi Mamardashvili with two long-range strikes. Lokonga thought he’d broken the deadlock around the 30-minute mark when he volleyed in a corner from fellow Belgian Dodi Lukebakio, only for the goal to be annulled because the cross had curled out of play. Lukebakio then made his own attempt against Mamardashvili, who saved the shot, before setting up Isaac Romero for a shot that narrowly missed the target. Although Sevilla dominated proceedings initially, it was Valencia who went in leading at the break. Javi Guerra struck just before the half-time whistle, cutting inside and curling a shot into the far corner. Earlier, Loic Bade almost inadvertently scored an own goal when trying to intercept a cross, but the ball hit the crossbar instead. Valencia’s Jose Gaya saw another chance swallowed by Sevilla’s goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland.

The second half opened with excitement as Guerra was denied a second goal by a fantastic save from Nyland, who tipped Guerra’s shot onto the crossbar. At the other end, Mamardashvili kept out another Lokonga effort, this time a curling shot from the edge of the box. The action continued to flow back and forth, with Nyland making another impressive stop to thwart substitute Hugo Duro’s close-range header. In seeking an equalizer, Kike Salas saw his powerful drive just miss by inches. Despite their efforts, the match concluded 1-0 in Valencia’s favor, marking Sevilla’s fourth consecutive loss by the same scoreline. This defeat was also their first at Mestalla in the last seven visits, allowing Valencia to overtake them in the standings. Javi Guerra was named the Flashscore Man of the Match for his pivotal goal.