Valencia (Spain), Sep 23 (IANS) Spanish football club Valencia, under interim coach Salvador Gonzalez, posted their first win of the La Liga, beating Alaves 2-1.
After starting the campaign with four straight losses, the hosts looked much improved in the opening minutes of a contest here on Thursday that came barely 48 hours after the firing of manager Pako Ayestaran, reports Efe.
By the 15th minute, play shifted in favour of Alaves, who began to dominate the midfield and sharply limit offensive space for Valencia.
But one of Valencia's few forays into Alaves territory proved costly, as the home side went ahead 1-0 in the 28th minute due to an own goal.
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The gift didn't provide the expected boost to Valencia's morale and the visitors continued to dictate the flow of the match, but without producing any chance until.
Just before the break, a header from forward Toquero brought the squads level at 1-1.
While Valencia started the second half with a lot more intensity, they continued to suffer from a lack of quality in the final third.
The match then settled into a duel between a home side desperate for their first victory and an visiting team content to defend and wait for an opportunity on the counter-attack.
With three minutes left of regulation time, Valencia were awarded a penalty to Valencia after Zakaria Bakkali went down inside the penalty box.
Midfielder Daniel Parejo converted from the spot to make it 2-1 and ensure the victory for Valencia.
--IANS
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