Valencia 2-2 Mallorca
Gonçalo Guedes was widely considered the best player on the pitch this Saturday evening as Valencia staged a remarkable comeback to salvage a point against Mallorca at the Mestalla.
The Portugal man produced the vital moment of the match, scoring a superb long-range goal in injury time to half Los Ches’ deficit, after which Valencia snatched an unlikely draw through defender José Gayà.
Guedes’ performance at the Mestalla saw him receive an 8.8 rating on popular statistical website whoscored.com, putting him far ahead of his teammates on an afternoon in which Valencia struggled despite a numerical advantage. The visitors spent most of the second half with ten men thanks to a 55th-minute dismissal of Kang-In Lee, but it took Valencia until stoppage time to make a breakthrough.
Former Benfica man Guedes had impressed throughout the game, registering four key passes and seven successful dribbles for his side. But the most important moment came in the 92nd minute, with Guedes smashing in a long-range shot with his right foot from distance to give his side hope, after which Gayà hooked in an equaliser from inside the six-yard box.
And so Valencia saved what Spanish newspaper Marca described as “a point which seemed impossible” while the publication also praised the performance of fellow Portuguese Hélder Costa on his first La Liga start for the club. However, it was Guedes who received the most favourable reviews across media outlets despite Valencia’s poor overall showing.
Guedes now has three goals and two assists from his ten outings in La Liga this season, while Valencia sit in 10th place having not won in six matches following a strong start to the campaign.
By Sean Gillen
