Valencia ended their near two-month winless streak in La Liga with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad, thanks to Hugo Duro’s (25) first-half goal.
The result lifts Carlos Corberán’s team off the bottom of the table.
Real Sociedad had an early chance to take the lead when Diego Lopez missed an unmarked header within five minutes, sending the ball wide from close range.
At the other end, Icelandic international Orri Oskarsson wasted a golden opportunity, misfiring a scuffed shot after being set up by Sheraldo Becker’s cross from the right.
Valencia made them pay for these misses when Hugo Duro capitalized on a deflected shot from Dimitri Foulquier.
The ball bounced kindly into his path, and Duro calmly slotted it into an empty net to give Valencia the lead.
Despite a few half-chances, such as Javi Lopez and Becker’s shots being saved before halftime, Real Sociedad struggled to create any sustained pressure.
Imanol Alguacil’s halftime talk seemed to inspire his side, as Bruno Mendez tested the goalkeeper with a curling shot after the restart, though it sailed over the bar.
However, Real Sociedad’s momentum soon fizzled out. Valencia, despite failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 15 league matches, defended relatively comfortably.
Duro even had a chance to seal the victory but missed a one-on-one opportunity, shooting straight at Alex Remiro.
As the match progressed, Valencia experienced some nervy moments, but for all the attacking changes Real Sociedad made, they were unable to test Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal.
Valencia are now unbeaten in four consecutive games, marking their best run since January of the previous year.
On the other hand, Real Sociedad, who had hoped to move into fifth place, have now lost three of their last four La Liga matches, failing to score in each of the defeats.
