Valencia finally caught a real break today in the La Liga when they hosted Levante at the Mestalla, and today’s victory came in the most dramatic way possible.
Hugo Duro, who had been fairly quiet for large spells of the match, produced a ridiculous 78th-minute bicycle kick that sealed a narrow but priceless 1–0 win over Levante in the Derby del Turia at a buzzing Mestalla. For a team that had gone seven league matches without a win, you could almost feel the relief pouring out of the stands.
The pressure on manager Carlos Corberán had been piling up too, with Soffootball reporting that the coach had charged the players to step up in the presence of the fans’ unwavering support, and they delivered, enjoying three points for the first time in a long time.
Before now, they’ve only managed just one point from their previous three home games, which wasn’t helping anybody’s mood, and both Valencia and Levante kicked off the match stuck in La Liga’s bottom four.
Levante actually threatened first. Oriol Rey got a decent opening but blasted over from about 15 yards, and moments later Mat Ryan had to get down quickly to stop Lucas Beltrán’s strike.
Valencia weren’t exactly quiet either. Javi Guerra, who always seems in a hurry, had two efforts blocked before halftime, leaving everybody wondering where the breakthrough would come from.
Valencia thought they had cracked it in the 63rd minute when Diego López reacted quickest to a rebound and tucked it home. But then VAR stepped in, and the goal got chopped off for offside somewhere in the buildup. A bit harsh maybe, but that’s football now.
Still, the frustration didn’t last long. When a loose clearance fell to José Gayá, he snapped a first-time pass toward Duro, who somehow twisted his body and launched a left-footed bicycle kick from outside the box. The ball flew past Ryan before he could even flinch as Duro bagged his fifth goal of the season, and easily the most outrageous one.
Valencia uploaded a video of him celebrating the goal and tagging the finish as an outrageous one in a post made via their official X account.
Watch the video below:
Levante almost spoilt the party late on when José Luis Morales rounded the keeper but dragged his finish inches wide. Valencia survived, climbed up to 15th, and also stretched their unbeaten home run against Levante to a staggering 20 official matches dating back to 1963.
