Neville watches Valencia hold Barca

Home News Premium Sports Betting Recomemndations Contact

Which Premier League club has gone 55 games without an English goalscorer?View more

06 Dec 2015

New Valencia head coach Gary Neville watched from the stand as Santi Mina's equaliser ensured La Liga leaders Barcelona were held to a draw.

Luis Suarez's 44th goal in 64 matches for Barca looked to have earned them a seventh straight league win.

The home side, led by interim head coach Voro and Neville's brother Phil, were second best for long spells.

But the visitors paid for missing a host of chances as forward Mina, who turns 20 on Monday, lashed in late on.

It was the teenager's first goal since joining Valencia from Celta Vigo in the summer, and came after Paco Alcacer had chested down a long ball to set him up.

Plenty of spirit brings reward

Ruben Vezo was frequently left trailing by Neymar during a testing evening

Neville, who takes charge officially on Sunday, arrives at the Mestalla to take over a team languishing in the middle of La Liga after qualifying for the Champions League in May.

He will have been encouraged by a Valencia performance far better than was put forward in the 1-0 defeat at Sevilla last Sunday that preceded Nuno Espirito Santo's resignation.

This was a point earned against the odds. Valencia were missing 10 senior players for the visit of the Spanish champions, and it showed at times.

Ruben Vezo, normally a centre-back, was pressed into service as a stand-in right-back, and had a torrid night against Neymar, not helped at times by a lack of defensive support from Mina.

Another concern for Neville would be Valencia's inability to keep the ball when they had it. Too many passes went astray, inviting pressure on an overworked back line.

However, they hung in when they could have gone under, and got reward in the closing minutes.

Chances galore

Lionel Messi missed two good first-half chances, and went close with a late free-kick that was saved

Despite the adrenaline rush that would have come with Mina's late equaliser, Neville will be honest enough to acknowledge that Barcelona should have won.

The league leaders' big weakness was their profligacy in front of goal. Their formidable front three of Neymar, Suarez and Lionel Messi all missed chances they would have expected to score in the first half.

Neymar blazed a shot over in the first half after Vezo had lost his man, then curled a terrific effort just wide in the second, while Suarez gave Valencia a let off with a wayward chip when clear before the interval, and Messi's normally clinical finishing was missing.

Despite their dominance, Barca could not pull away. They received a warning when Rodrigo De Paul hit a tame shot at keeper Claudio Bravo with 12 minutes left, but did not heed it - and Mina punished them.

On a day that both Madrid clubs posted victories to maintain the pressure in the title race, Luis Enrique's side missed a great chance to post a statement of intent - and saw their title lead cut to a point.

Best and worst of Suarez

Luis Suarez struck the opening goal moments after a stamp on defender Aymen Abdennour

Luis Suarez has made a career out of playing on the edge - proving as prone to crossing the line as hitting the heights.

The Mestalla saw the worst and the best of Suarez in the space of a few minutes in the second half.

First, the Uruguay striker was picked up by television cameras stamping on the foot of Aymen Abdennour. The Valencia centre-back made clear his anger as he fell to the turf, while Suarez, pleading his innocence, escaped without censure.

Moments later, though, Suarez showed just why he has become one of the most coveted attacking talents in world football, finishing ruthlessly to put his team in front.

There was a suggestion that Suarez might have been offside as he raced on to Messi's pass, although Vezo may just have been playing him onside.

What next for Neville?

Gary Neville watched from the stand as his brother Phil assisted interim head coach Voro

The new head coach takes over the reigns from the popular Voro for Wednesday's crucial Champions League home match against Lyon.

A win will ensure Neville's new team a place in the last 16 - as long as Gent do not beat Zenit St Petersburg in the night's other Group H fixture.

After that comes a La Liga trip to seventh-placed Eibar, which must be faced without captain Daniel Parejo, suspended after picking up a fifth booking of the season for chopping down Suarez in the second half.

Lineup, Bookings (4) & Substitutions (3)

Valencia

24 Domenech Sánchez
03 Nunes Vezo
04 Santos
23 Abdennour
14 Gayá Peña Booked
12 Barbosa da Silva Booked
10 Parejo Booked
15 Pérez (Bakkali - 73' )
22 Mina Lorenzo (Carbonell Gil - 88' )
09 Alcácer García
20 de Paul (Piatti - 83' )

Substitutes

11 Piatti
16 Bakkali
25 Ryan
28 Carbonell Gil
30 Villalba Rodrigo
31 Diallo
33 Gil de Pareja

Barcelona

13 Bravo
06 Dani Alves
03 Piqué
14 Mascherano Booked
18 Alba
04 Rakitic
05 Busquets
08 Iniesta
10 Messi
09 Suárez
11 Neymar

Substitutes

01 ter Stegen
15 Bartra
17 El Haddadi
19 Ramírez
21 Adriano
23 Vermaelen
26 Samper

Ref: Santiago Jaime Latre

Att: 46,799

Match Stats

Possession 28 72

Shots

10 16

On target

3 5

Corners

0 6

Fouls

13 15

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full Time Match ends, Valencia CF 1, Barcelona 1.

90:00 +3:03 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Valencia CF 1, Barcelona 1.

90:00 +2:13

Foul by Gerard Piqué (Barcelona).

90:00 +2:13

José Gayá (Valencia CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

90:00 +1:45

Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Aderlan Santos.

90:00 +1:05

Foul by Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona).

90:00 +1:05

Daniel Parejo (Valencia CF) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

90:00 +0:31

Attempt saved. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Luis Suárez.