Deportivo Alaves 0-1 Valencia result, stats and report

The Result

Deportivo Alaves 0-1 Valencia. That is the scoreline and it tells you everything you need to know about football. Alaves had more shots, more dangerous attacks, more crosses, and more big chances. Valencia had the one moment that mattered. Luis Rioja, on as a substitute, put the ball in the net in the 78th minute and that was that. End of.

What Happened on the Pitch

Alaves started the brighter side and never really stopped pressing. They had 15 shots to Valencia's 10, 11 shots inside the box to Valencia's 5, and 60 dangerous attacks to Valencia's 29. On the basics of competing and creating, Alaves did their job. The problem is you have to score, and they did not.

The thing is, Alaves had two big chances and missed both of them. Valencia had one big chance and took it. That is the cruelest version of this game but it is not unfair. If you get in front of goal and you do not put it away, you deserve nothing. Alaves can look at those two missed big chances and understand exactly why they lost this match.

Valencia, for their part, were disciplined under the surface but a mess in other areas. Four yellow cards is unacceptable. You cannot keep giving away fouls at that rate. Pepelu was booked just before half time for a foul. Aaron Ndive Mayol de la Cueva was booked for a foul in the 52nd minute. Guido Rodriguez collected one for a foul in the 61st minute and was then taken off nine minutes later, which was the right call. That is too many cheap cards. It shows a lack of discipline and a lack of game management. But they won, so those are problems for another day.

The Sending Off That Was Not and the Cards That Were

There was a VAR check involving Arnaut Danjuma in the 18th minute. Nothing came of it in terms of a red card or penalty, so Valencia kept their full complement. Three minutes later, at the 21-minute mark, both sides got a yellow card each from the same incident. Antonio Blanco picked one up for Alaves and Javi Guerra received one for Valencia, both for dissent, both for arguing. Two players losing their heads at the same moment. You want leaders on the pitch. That is not leadership.

The Goal

Luis Rioja had come on as a substitute in the 63rd minute, replacing Hugo Duro. He had fifteen minutes to make an impact and he did exactly that. In the 78th minute, Rioja finished with his right foot, with Javi Guerra credited as the assist. A substitute winning the game for his side. That is what you bring players off the bench for. You do not rotate for the sake of it. You bring players on to change the game, and Rioja did.

The goal had the feel of a Valencia side hanging on, nicking it on the counter or from a set moment, and then defending for their lives. The statistics back that up. Alaves had 43 percent of the ball to Valencia's 57 percent, but Valencia's possession did not translate into attacking dominance. Alaves were the ones creating the clearer openings. Valencia were efficient when it mattered and ragged the rest of the time.

Alaves: Plenty of Effort, Not Enough Execution

Listen, you cannot fault the attitude of Alaves here. They pressed, they created, they put the ball in dangerous areas. Twenty-five crosses, 11 shots inside the box, 51 duels won. That is a team that competed. Their goalkeeper made two saves and was not badly exposed. The back line held a decent shape for long periods.

The problem is simple. Two big chances missed. In La Liga, against a Valencia side who had just lost four on the bounce, you have to put those away. Alaves had three shots on target from 15 attempts. Three. That conversion rate from the positions they were getting into is not good enough. Standards have to be higher in front of goal.

Antonio Blanco's yellow card early on for arguing did not help the team's composure either. You are at home, you are the better side for long stretches, and you are getting involved in a shouting match in the 21st minute. Concentrate on the football.

Valencia: Ugly Win, But a Win

Valencia had won none of their previous four La Liga matches coming into this game. They had scored just one goal in that run and conceded ten. The thing is, when a side is that low on confidence, sometimes you need a scruffy, hard-fought victory to get you going again. This was not pretty. Four yellow cards, 14 fouls committed, chasing the match for long periods. But they kept their shape, they kept their goalkeeper busy making three saves, and when the moment came through Rioja, they took it.

They also kept a clean sheet, which will matter enormously to a dressing room that had been leaking goals. Valencia's goalkeeper did what was required. Three saves from three shots on target faced. Quiet enough, but when called upon, solid.

The injury situation at Valencia is a concern. They have four players out, including one long-term absentee with no return date set, one facing a return date of March 2027, and two others expected back in October and November. Managing a thin squad over a long run of fixtures is difficult. That is the challenge ahead of them.

The Bottom Line

Alaves were the better side and lost. Valencia were the worse side and won. Football does this regularly. You can control your effort, your basics, your execution. Alaves controlled two of those three. They paid for failing on the third.

Valencia deserve credit for staying organised enough to nick it. Rioja's goal was the difference. Three points on the board and a clean sheet. For a side with no wins in their previous four La Liga matches, that is exactly what they needed. Accountability starts now. Whether they build on it is entirely up to them.