Valencia 3-2 Espanyol
Both Valencia and Espanyol were fighting for relegation at the same time last season, but Los Pericos arrived at the Mestalla with the luxury of a European race clearly in sight. Los Che, just a point above the drop zone, can’t help but nervously look behind them.
After a slow start, Valencia began to build a streak, Arnaut Danjuma driving inside the box and his shot was blocked. Seconds later, before the game got into a normal rhythm, Lucas Beltran managed to find a pocket of space in the final third, and slipped the ball behind the central defenders. Hugo Duro’s diagonal runs meant that if he beat Marko Dmitrovic to the ball, he would have it all, and he beat Dmitrovic as he did so, into an empty net with the Serbian confused on the ground.
The reaction to the goal came from Los Che, however, who continued to put pressure on the Espanyol goal, with Danjuma repeatedly shooting from the edge of the box. Whenever the Catalan team tried to press, they would get rid of the crowd, but Filip Ugrinic and Pepelu kept Los Che out.
Twice Eray Comer made important crosses to set up almost certain goals in the six-yard box, but those crosses were as close as Espanyol got in the first half, mostly arm-wrestling – a sign in the same way that Valencia’s threat had waned.
A gut punch game
The second half started almost exclusively for Valencia, and although they didn’t seem to be doing well, Espanyol scored their first real opener. A cross from the right slipped to Kike Garcia, and although Stole Dimitrievski got down to block it, he could do nothing to beat Ramon Terrats on the rebound.
Espanyol continued to find space in Valencia’s midfield. Edu Exposito coming off the bench and now running the show, and it was starting to look like a matter of time before the second came – Valencia’s five seconds later wasn’t planned or seemed possible. Comert drove forward after breaking his own charge unchallenged. His pass sent Danjuma wider than he would have liked, but the Dutchman hit the by-line anyway, and his cut-back was headed in close to one-on-one by Comert.
It took another 15 minutes for Espanyol to recover from the injury, and despite Comert’s eager pursuit of the man of the match award, they began to press again. Garcia saw his head slide easily into Dimitrievski’s gloves. By now, Manolo Gonzalez had another issue though, as Umar Sadiq began to beat his defenders. Faced with challenges, Sadiq brought down Beltran, whose shot went wide, before a curling effort from the left corner of the box went just wide of the far post.
⌚️ 85′ | 2-2
Busquem el tercer. Wow, wow!#RCDE #ValenciaEspanyol pic.twitter.com/3kZtsTrKj8– RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) January 24, 2026
With Los Pericos forced to hold on for a surprise blow, Valencia took their chance with 10 minutes to go. Beltran’s corner kick found Tyrhys Dolan, who then fed it to Urko Gonzalez. His shot deflected twice, and when the Mestalla crowd got the ball, it bounced hard into the far corner, this time with Dimitrievski hitting the floor.
The final minutes, along with the match, were played with balance, difficulty and opportunity. Both teams saw the final passes go just past the front in a good position. It was an outstretched leg from Espanyol defender Ruben Sanchez that made the difference. He went to clear the ball from his box, but Beltran, as smart as he was quick, got in front of him to win the penalty. Ramazani, his shot blocked in front, tested Mestalla’s nerves with a slow run… He made the explosion even more spectacular when he sent Dmitrovic the wrong way.
Mestalla jumped for joy in the literal sense of the phrase – that’s what the breathing room below sounds like a pressurized stadium. Valencia are now four points clear of the relegation zone before Alaves play, after playing well, twice responding to problems, and getting quality moments when they needed them. Despite appearing to apply more pressure, Espanyol struggled to find clear openings in a back line defined by Comert’s grit. Los Pericos extend their unbeaten run to four games, the last one a month away, back in 2025.
