As full time sounded at the Estadio Mestalla the crowd roared in delight at what their players achieved. Fighting back from a goal down through Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty Los Che had defeated Real Madrid and in the process ended Los Merengues’ 22 game unbeaten run.
The victory came at a good time for Coach Nuno Espirito Santo, as it propelled Valencia two points clear of Sevilla into fourth place, although Los Rojiblancos do have a game in hand. The win was timely for another reason, for Valencia, as of late had suffered a minor blip. Prior to beating Real Madrid they had won just two of their last five League games, which included losing to Levante, as well as being held to a draw at Granada. As a result it enabled Sevilla to wrestle back fourth spot.
However, Valencia have made vast strides from what they faced 18 months ago. Where now the fans applaud the club’s achievements outside their stadium [as they did after defeating Real Madrid] back in late 2013 the reality was altogether different. Poor form under then-Coach Miroslav Djukic led to protests, and debts forced the club to sell their best assets in summer 2013, curtailing the club’s progression.
With the arrival of Peter Lim it has allowed Nuno, whom Lim appointed in the summer, to implement the Singaporean’s vision for the club. The players have risen to what their owner wants to immediate effect. Nicolas Otamendi, who arrived in the summer from Porto, has been a rock in defence and his performance against Real Madrid last week was exemplary, his efforts capped off by scoring the winning goal.
In addition, Jose Luis Gaya is yet another product of their cantera, performing admirably when selected at full-back. No one at Mestalla thought they could replace Juan Bernat when he was sold to Bayern Munich but Gaya has already shown he could be Bernat’s long-term successor. Moreover, the attacking compliment of Rodrigo Moreno, Paco Alcacer and Pablo Piatti brings goals, work rate but also determination that is well appreciated among supporters.
Although Valencia sit in fourth Santo and Lim knew very well that to maintain their push for Champions League football, reinforcements were needed in the January transfer window, which is why the signing of 28-year-old Enzo Perez from Benfica was a timely boost to Valencia’s Champions League hopes. Perez was one of main assets under Coach Jorge Jesus and played an active role in Argentina’s run to the World Cup semi-finals last summer. The fact Valencia paid €25m euros for him shows just how highly they rated him.
Valencia are at the beginning of an amazing journey under Lim and if they can achieve Champions League football for next season it will be a wonderful effort. It could be a platform to light the spark within this dormant giant of Spanish football. With it they can repeat the days when the name of Valencia was feared.
