Valencia 0-0 Racing Santander: Los Che Held In Scrappy Affair

Valencia went into the game knowing that a win would keep them fairly close to Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the table. For Racing the job was simple, smash and grab, take what they can and hope to snatch a vital point or three.

Valencia dominated large parts of the first half but did not do enough in the creativity department to get themselves in front. Racing came into the game more and more and landed some heavier blows in the second spell of play.

Racing started quickly when Canales raced at the Valencia defence. The ball seemed to be weighted perfectly but Navarro stepped up just in time to intercept and clear the danger.

Valencia soon managed to counter and push the away team back. Pablo Hernandez raced into a superb position before the ten minute mark but sent a wild cross into the stands.

Racing could have gone ahead through the boot of Arana. He hit a free kick but caught it a little too well as it flew over the cross bar and out of play. Valencia had the slight edge in the early stages.

Valencia had the first real chance of the half through David Villa. The striker managed to make a little space after he controlled a Baraja through ball. Coltori flew out of goal and got something on the ball to stop his side going behind.

The same player then rattled the frame of the goal after good work from Hernandez. The winger found Villa on the left of the box, he hit a shot against the bar and then saw his rebound cleared off of the line.

Valencia started to really get on top of the game as Racing rarely got out of their own half. David Silva headed wide from a Juan Mata corner around the half an hour mark. Valencia were passing the ball with an apparent air of authority and dominance.

Silva had another chance at goal when Valencia won a free kick just outside the Racing box. Unfortunately he could not do any better than Arana as the ball went straight into the wall.

The chances for Valencia just kept on coming. Mata was the next to break through on the left but he blazed his effort wide of the goal when it seemed easier to get something on target. Sooner or later Los Che were going to have to score.

The first half could have ended disastrously for Valencia when Tchite pulled a shot wide of the target. The front man got rid of Dealbert but just pulled his shot and saw the ball curly away from the far post.

The start of the second half replicated the first. Hernandez again found space on the wing and sent his cross high and wide, away from anyone waiting for a chance to bury the ball.

Canales then went down in the Valencia box a few minutes later. He tried to make the most of the situation in the hope the referee would point to the twelve-yard mark but he was not successful.

Racing had obviously been told to wake up and liven up. Canales was again in the play when he tried to make a cheeky run in front of the linesman. However, the assistant saw the offside position and raised his flag before the player could run through on goal.

The away team kept going. Arana and Tchite combined well as the former pinged in a cross. Tchite dummied but Moya got down well to parry the ball before Alexis hoofed it away.

Both teams were trading midfield blows. The whole Valencia side was working hard, which was personified by Mata tracking back a long distance to make a block on a Canales shot in the 67th minute.

Valencia pressed on and made a number of attacking substitutions. The match was set for a tense last quarter of an hour as each side was waiting to pounce on one killer chance, which could be the difference.

Joaquin went down inside the Racing penalty area but the referee produced the same response as he did for a penalty claim earlier in the match. The usual routine of trying to waste as much time as possible now seemed to be the weapon of choice for the away team.

Valencia frustrations were then defined when Navarro was shown a second yellow card and had to leave the pitch. It left a nervy last few minutes for the home team to see out.