Gonçalo Guedes says Valencia were deserving of their victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday evening, after the Portuguese netted the opening goal in Los Ches’ 2-1 win over the reigning European Champions.
Former Benfica man Guedes put Valencia in front on 35 minutes with a beautifully placed right-foot shot into the bottom corner, with fellow ex Eagles star Ezequiel Garay adding a second late on ahead of Karim Benzema’s consolation.
“We had a great game, with only two days in which to prepare for it,” Guedes told reporters post-match. “But we did what the coach asked of us, we worked hard and we deserved to win. We could have done more, but we were aware that our opponents could score goals.”
The win for Valencia means they are now undefeated in 17 matches in all competitions, which is the longest unbeaten run in the club’s 100-year history. For Guedes, the victory and the goal had special significance, coming in a season blighted by setbacks, including two months out injured following mid-season surgery.
The decision to operate on Guedes, who had been struggling with an abdominal problem all season, came after Valencia’s trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to play Real Madrid in La Liga. Guedes had arguably his worst match for the team since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain last summer for a club-record €40m.
A touchline disagreement with coach Marcelino after the match cast doubt over Guedes’ future at the Mestalla, but since returning from his spell on the side-lines the Portuguese is finding his feet in Spain. Recent important goals against Girona and Krasnodar put Guedes on the right track, but there was a setback last weekend when he was substituted at half time against Sevilla in La Liga.
Marcelino maintained faith in Guedes’ talent, however, and the Seleção star kept his place for the visit of Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid. Guedes once again responded by demonstrating his quality, with Valencia now likely to rely on the forward to play a key role in their quest to move from 5th place to a top four finish.
“We are doing everything very well,” Guedes said. “We know the games won’t be easy. We will treat every game as a final. The opponents are strong but we believe in ourselves and we want to be as high up the table as possible.”
André Martins on target as Legia move on from Sá Pinto; Vierinha’s PAOK march towards title
Legia Warsaw’s first match since dispensing with Portuguese coach Ricardo Sá Pinto saw the Polish champions beat last season’s runners up Jagiellonia Bialystok 3-0 on Wednesday evening. Among the goalscorers was former Sporting midfielder André Martins, who got the third following a sensational team move, as Legia cut the gap on leaders Lechia Gdansk to just three points.
Martins was joined in the Legia starting line-up by ex Vitória Guimarães man Luís Rocha, while Iuri Medeiros was on the substitutes bench. The victory was the perfect response from Legia to the heavy 4-0 defeat to Wisla Krakow at the weekend which cost Sá Pinto his job.
Meanwhile in Greece, captain Vieirinha played 82 minutes as PAOK took a 2-0 home lead in their Greek Cup semi-final first leg against Asteras Tripolis. PAOK, who are unbeaten in the Greek Super League and aiming for a domestic double, will travel for the return leg against Asteras in three weeks’ time, by when they will hope to have clinched their first league title in 34 years.
By Sean Gillen
