Valencia 2-0 Girona: Los Che up and running with upset win

Girona slumped to a surprise 2-0 defeat at struggling Valencia on Saturday as an own goal by Juanpe and a deflected strike from Dani Gomez gave the hosts their first win of the season in LaLiga.

The victory moved Valencia from bottom to 18th on four points, one ahead of Getafe and two ahead of Las Palmas.

Last year’s surprise package Girona, meanwhile, are 13th on seven points from their first six games of the campaign, having also lost their Champions League opener at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

Valencia dominated proceedings from the early stages but needed 56 minutes to break the deadlock, with Gomez’s long-range strike deflecting off Juanpe and wrong-footing Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

The hosts had daylight just two minutes later as Gomez slotted a finish inside the left-hand post from the edge of the box, and Michel’s men were unable to respond as they suffered their third defeat of the season.

Data Debrief: Efficiency key for Valencia

Valencia only recorded one shot on target in a match low on high-quality chances, with both teams’ total expected goals (xG) figures adding up to just 0.77 xG.

This is the first time since at least the 2003-04 season, when Opta records began, that they have won a match in LaLiga, and scored twice, when only managing one shot on target.

1 – For the first time since at least the 2003/04 season, Valencia have won a LaLiga match in which they scored twice despite only managing one shot on target. Relief. pic.twitter.com/GvuEaZaTPy

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 21, 2024