Cheryshev earns Valencia victory at La Rosaleda

Even-stevens early doors
The two teams showed each other a lot of respect early on, feeling their way into the game while both showing intent to draw first blood. Chory Castro's strike across goal and a menacing foray from Sofiane Feghouli were the two most dangerous moments before Malaga CF broke the deadlock.

Cop in top form
The Croat is firing on all cylinders right now and, having bagged his second LaLiga goal last matchday against Real Sociedad, he didn't wait long to notch his third. The ball fell perfectly for him after a block in the box and the Malaga forward curled his finish right into the top corner, beyond Diego Alves.

 

Valencia CF rally
Los Che took their time to recover from going behind, but managed to build up a head of steam and play some fine stuff. Their pressure paid off shortly before the break, when Paco Alcacer made his way to the byline and clipped in a cross looking for a teammate, only for Carlos Kameni to inadvertently palm the ball into his own net when attempting to clear. That made it all square again just four minutes before half-time.

Cheryshev comes up with the goods
Despite hardly having an impact in the first half, the Russian attacking midfielder is brimming with talent and when he pops up, he can be lethal. So he proved not long after the restart, in the process doing no less than handing his team the lead. The opening minutes of the second half were a litmus test for both sides, who came out in search of a goal that would tip the match in their favour. Denis Cheryshev it was who got it, drilling home to claim three valuable points for Valencia at La Rosaleda.
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