Valencia 1 - Mallorca 1

Valencia: Cañizares; Curro Torres, Ayala, Pellegrino (Fabio Aurelio 75'), Carboni; Angulo (Kily González 46'), Marchena, Vicente; Aimar; Juan Sánchez, Salva (Mista 66'). 4-3-1-2.
Mallorca: Leo Franco; Campano, Vicente, Nadal, Siviero (Olaizola 25'), Miguel Soler; Novo (Riera 89'), Paco Soler, Paunovic; Eto'o, Luque (Marcos 75'). 5-3-2.

Team changes: Valencia: Angulo, Aimar, Salva for Rufete, Albelda, Carew / Mallorca: Vicente for Olaizola.

Goals:
0-1. 13. Luque. Lobbed keeper after running on to headed pass.
1-1. 80. Mista. First time shot close up after Kily González laid ball in from left.

Spain's two surviving teams in the UEFA cup shared the points at the Mestalla stadium in a match brought forward to Saturday night to give them time to prepare for their European compromises next Thursday. Valencia came in to the game without a win in their last three games, and with Rufete and Albelda injured, brought in Aimar and the unsettled Angulo, with Salva replacing Carew up front.

Mallorca were the team more on form though, having had three wins from their last four games, and having qualified for the next round of the Spanish cup in a penalty shoot out at Ceuta midweek. Kresic had reserved several of his key players including Luque, Eto'o, Miguel Soler and Nadal in that match, and after weathering an early onslaught from the home side lead by Aimar, they settled down to their game of defend and counterattack. The Balearic side had not scored in ten years at the Mestalla, but Luque put that right early on with his fourth goal in three games, leaving Cañizares with no chance on a rapid breakaway.

Benítez replaced the limping Agulo with Kily González at the break, with Vicente switching to the right, and midway through the half he took off a disappointing Salva to bring on Mista. It looked though as if they were going to go their fourth league game without a goal when Kily finally won his way through and laid the ball in for Mista to turn a shot past Leo Franco. It was Valencia's ninth draw of the season, but with the teams below them winning the following day they found themselves out of the top six by the end of the weekend. Mallorca too drop a place or two to sixteenth, but Kresic has got them back on track and they can only go up from here.