Valencia are hanging on by a thread at the table after a hard‑fought win at Balaídos this Sunday. Alberto Marí, in a moment of precision and timing, lost his balance on a header in the 86th minute, sealing a bitter victory that canceled out Kluivert’s second-half effort but also thinned the team’s path forward.
Celta had a rough night tied to their own decline. Yago Aspas, a Spanish international, is far from his peak form and no longer dominates the narrative for his side. He played with noticeable strain against Valencia and directed his frustration outward. Aspas wants to influence games, yet a decisive moment eluded him, so he was taken off early in the second half, a decision that stood out in Balaídos for its rarity.
The match felt like a final for both sides, and that intensity was evident in every bench reaction and every breath of tension. Celta lined up without two stalwart defenders, Aidoo and Javi Galán, which left gaps in their setup. A miscue by Cervi, who shifted to the left, allowed Diego López to deliver a dangerous cross that Kluivert converted with a touch of class.
Valencia moved ahead eight minutes later, and that shifted the tempo for Celta. The visitors controlled the ball, pinning their opponents back, yet meaningful chances were scarce. The clearest moment came when Carles Pérez fired a shot from a tight angle, brilliantly saved by Mamardashvili with an outstretched leg.
Celta showed signs of imbalance, and as time wore on, the team sagged. Renato Tapia, the Peruvian midfielder, did crucial work by dropping deeper to block a potential chronic danger from Kluivert. Iván Villar also stood tall, making a stylish stop with his foot on Diego López’s attempt.
Both teams stepped into the second half with the clock ticking against Celta. Baraja’s side found a lifeline; Seferovic, the Swiss international who had already tested Mamardashvili, rose to meet a cross and head the ball into the net, equalizing and electrifying Balaídos. Aspas’ bench came alive, recalling the earlier substitution of Larsen just moments before.
The sky-blue goal reframed the night. Valencia appeared unsettled again, while Celta, sensing an opportunity, pushed forward with renewed energy. The home side looked to seize the momentum, and Oscar Rodríguez struck the woodwork with a shot that teased a late twist to the tale.
Yet at the 86th minute, Alberto Marí seized a vulnerable moment in Celta’s central defense to rise above the scrambling backline and head past Iván Villar. The goal delivered a watershed moment for Valencia, a lifeline that reinforced their fight in the region while deepening Celta’s ongoing concerns.
Celta’s struggles persisted as the final whistle neared, with a sense that the team still seeks a stabilizing formula. Valencia, meanwhile, earned a result that preserves momentum and injects renewed confidence into Rubén Baraja’s squad, providing relief from a period of mounting pressure.
In the end, the late strike stood as a defining image of the night: a hard‑won victory that shifted the balance a fraction and gave Valencia a reason to breathe. The performance underscored the drama of a season’s halfway point, where every point feels earned and every setback tests character. The match left both sides with questions to answer in the weeks ahead, but the outcome offered Valencia a crucial lift and a reminder that resilience can tilt the balance in a tense campaign. (Source: match reports and post‑game analyses)