SANTI MINA STRUCK four minutes from time to earn Valencia a 1-1 draw against La Liga champions Barcelona as new coach Gary Neville watched from the stands.
Neville has been appointed as Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement in a somewhat surprising move and watched on as Voro and brother Phil Neville presided over a gutsy display that saw Santi Mina cancel out Luis Suarez’s opener late on.
Nuno resigned his post following last week’s abject defeat to Sevilla but interim boss Voro witnessed a determined display at the Mestalla, even if his side rode their luck in the first half with Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar all missing first-half chances.
Former Manchester United and England man Neville officially takes charge from Sunday and looked set to do so against the backdrop of a defeat after Suarez scored for a seventh game in succession in all competitions.
The striker enraged Aymen Abdennour and Valencia fans moments earlier with an apparent stamp but the Mestalla erupted when Paco Alcacer brilliantly brought down a long ball on his chest before turning Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano and playing in Santi Mina.
The young forward finished calmly past Claudio Bravo, ending Barca’s six-game winning streak in La Liga and giving Neville a positive foundation to build on.
Barca sit two points clear at the top after dropping points again at the Mestalla while Valencia will approach Neville’s debut in the Champions League against Lyon on Wednesday in high spirits.
Amid an electric atmosphere at kick-off, the game began at frenetic pace, Danilo’s effort squirming wide for the hosts, who were without suspended pair Joao Cancelo and Javi Fuego.
Barca replaced the injured former Valencia player Jeremy Mathieu with Jordi Alba and gradually grew into the game, Lionel Messi volleying Neymar’s delivery over the crossbar before the Brazilian shot over when clear on goal.
Voro’s men remained disciplined to frustrate Barca inside the opening half-hour, although Neymar continued to pose problems for right-back Ruben Vezo, squaring for Messi, who shot straight at Jaume 26 minutes in.
Valencia will perhaps feel aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty when Gerard Pique tangled with Enzo Perez inside the box, referee Santiago Jaime uninterested.
Suarez joined Neymar and Messi in missing the target before Aderlan Santos got the crucial touch on Messi’s cross to deny the Uruguayan a simple tap-in prior to half-time.
Suarez angered Abdennour early in the second half with an apparent stamp, referee Jaime taking no action, before the Barca man clattered into goalkeeper Jaume Domenech much to the home fans’ annoyance.
And it was the former Liverpool striker who broke the deadlock just before the hour when he latched onto Messi’s lofted pass before holding off Abdennour to finish at the near post.
Domenech should perhaps have done better while there were shades of offside when Messi played the pass but Valencia almost levelled when Pique was forced into an erratic clearance after Dani Parejo’s effort was charged down.
Suarez again remained in the thick of things when he barged into Abdennour as Neymar and Rodrigo de Paul went close at either end but it was Santi Mina who played the decisive role as he stroked home the equaliser with four minutes remaining.
Danilo saw a powerful drive well saved by Bravo as Valencia set about finding a winner but Neville will instead begin his first full coaching role off the back of a hard-earned point.
They have some neck.
@Patrick Breen: Could still go to the DRA after this and maybe even a court case, who knows?
@Patrick Breen: they’re dead right. Why not just replay the last free again, the idea they have to replay the whole game is a fair solution is madness.
@Paul Mallon: the fact that they blatantly cheated and think they should get away with it is madness.
@Paul Mallon: replay the last free, seriously. So we’ll just make up a new sport..
@Patrick Breen: the more I think about this I’ve changed my mind from it’s 100% a replay to it only warrants a fine! Realistically the chances of a goal with the last kick of the game is unlikely, especially when it’s a 45 with the packed defence fully set up. And it’s telling that the referee allowed the 45 to be taken before the substitutions had been complete properly – Kilmacud will argue that as the subs were not being managed correctly! Players off players on before 45 can take place – clearly ref was going to allow it be taken quickly which added to the panic & confusion. In my view KMc won this game and an extra man on for 24secs over 70+ mins had NO bearing on the outcome. If this was reversed I don’t general public wud be questioning if Glen won it
@BMJF: It’s not really about the likelihood of a goal. Nobody knows what effect the 16th player had, direct or indirect, even as a distraction to the player in possession. The real issue is what happens if there’s no real sanction. Teams will be making substitutions and making sure the player being replaced is at least very slow leaving the pitch. Now we see Glen have pulled out of the appeals process because a replay is unworkable.
@BMJF: especially when it’s an overpacked defence.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: don’t be silly. The GAA will simply learn to make substitutions like every other sporting organisation!! That’s what will happen. Play will pause before a free is taken etc and Players will have to come off before the replacements go on and ref won’t restart the game until they’re in position. It’s not rocket science. GAA should have accepted some responsibility, read their rules and issued a hefty fine the next morning and that would have been the end of it
I’d watch a live stream of that hearing
Hope they throw the book at them and just award the final to the other team.
@Reggie: haha, don’t know about that now Reg. Certainly interested to hear what their grounds for appeal will be though…..seems cut and dried to me that the rule was broken and one of the consequences have been invoked.
The tone of the anti Kilmacud comments is telling. An anti Dub vibe off them. I’m guessing that If this was reversed and Glen had 16 men for 24secs over a 70+ min game, defending a 2point lead with last play of the game, the general public wud be saying that on balance Glen should remain the winners, and that the extra man for 24 secs didn’t really impact the outcome! But because it’s a big Dub club everyone has knickers in a knot!!
If GAA had issued a fine quickly I think Glen would have accepted the result , as their manager did straight after the game
@BMJF: I would say the opposite, the Ulster team (as always) are being portrayed as the bad guys here… maybe I’m wrong
Kilmacud won fair and square on the field of play. Glen will be looked upon as sore losers. There’s no way Kilmacud will replay the match. They are prepared to hand the cup over to Glen. If the Glen club wants to avoid the lasting legacy of poor losers they really should withdraw the objection and gear themselves up to trying to win the title next year on the field of play. That would give the club a lot of respect.
@Brendan Daniel Naughton: ‘fair and square’, hahahaha, are you well.
Great stuff