Valencia 3-1 Barcelona
Neither Valencia nor Barcelona left Mestalla feeling satisfied on Sunday, as Valencia’s win over Barcelona fell short of securing them a spot in Europe for the next season.
Los Che needed at least a victory to move up to 7th place, the only position that qualifies for the UEFA Conference League, while Barcelona aimed for three points to cap off a strong season. However, the first half was lackluster for both teams and they went into halftime without breaking the deadlock.
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The stalemate was finally broken in the 60th minute, and Barcelona took the lead. Ferran Torres had his shot from inside the box deflected into the net by Robert Lewandowski, who was thrilled to score in his final match for the club after failing to find the net in his farewell at Spotify Camp Nou the previous week.
However, Barcelona’s lead was short-lived as Valencia responded swiftly. First, Javi Guerra capitalized on a mistake by substitute Xavi Espart to level the score, before Luis Rioja thrilled the Mestalla crowd by scoring to make it 2-1 with a composed finish that found the back of the net past Wojciech Szczesny at his near post.
Barcelona pushed hard for an equalizer, but even after Andreas Christensen had a header saved expertly by Valencia’s goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, the hosts sealed their victory with a goal from Guido Rodriguez during the final moments of stoppage time.
Big Summers Ahead for Valencia and Barcelona
While Valencia will be pleased with their win, they still fell short in their quest for European competition after ensuring their survival last week. However, they can use this victory as a stepping stone as they aim to re-establish themselves among the top 6-7 teams in La Liga.
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Conversely, Barcelona is unlikely to dwell on this loss. They will now focus entirely on the summer ahead, which looks set to be eventful as they seek new additions to enhance Hansi Flick’s squad.