First Division - Day 2

Valladolid 1 - Valencia 1

Valladolid: Ricardo; Torres Gómez, Peña, Tena, Marcos; Caminero (Fernando Sales 62'), Fernando, Ricchetti, Chema (Gaspar 57'); Tote, Turu Flores (Antonio López 75'). 4-4-2.
Valencia: Cañizares; Curro Torres, Ayala, Pellegrino, Carboni; Angulo (Rufete 73'), Albelda (Aimar 55'), De los Santos, Vicente (Kily González 46'); Ilie, Salva Ballesta. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Valladolid: Caminero, Turu Flores for Lozano, Fernando Sales / Valencia: Pellegrino, Ilie, Salva Ballesta for Djukic, Aimar, Alieu Carew.

Goals:
1-0. 31. Caminero. Touched on long fee kick from Fernando wide on right.
1-1. 88. Salva. Poked ball past Ricardo after long cross in from Rufete.

Valencia were lucky to come away from Valladolid with a point after a last minute goal from Salva saved the day. It was the striker's first league goal since moving from Atlético Madrid and starts to pay back some of the money invested in him. Rafa Benítez opted to play Salva alongside the "Cobra", Adrian Ilie, now recovered from the injury that kept him out for most of last season. Valladolid were the better team in the first half, but Turu Flores, making his debut for the home side, showed he was not yet match fit. However they opened the scoring through veteran midfielder Caminero, who turned Fernando's free kick in to the net with his forearm, much to the disgust of the Valencia players.

Valladolid were unfortunate to be reduced to ten men early in the second half when the referee Pérez Lasa, substituting for Esquinas Torres, gave Peña a second yellow card after the ball hit him on his arm from behind. It was a bad decision, and Pepe Moré was forced to put on an extra defender Gaspar as cover. Benítez had already replaced a tired Vicente with Kily González, and he took advantage of the extra man to throw on Aimar. But Valladolid resisted up until the last moment, when Salva got on the end of Rufete's cross. Valencia are on four points, and now a have a few days to get to Russia to play their UEFA cup tie next Thursday.