Wednesday Champions League Roundup: Valencia, Celtic Claim Home Wins
Valencia's domestic season has not yet begun, but Los Che's attack is already in good form.
Rodrigo, Dani Parejo and Sofiane Feghouli scored the goals as Valencia notched a 3-1 victory over Monaco in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff on Wednesday night at the Mestalla. Chelsea loanee Mario Pasalic briefly brought Monaco level in the second half, but the home side's exuberant attacks proved too strong for the visitors from Ligue 1.
Because of the varying schedules of Europe's major leagues, one might have expected Monaco to hold a slim advantage ahead of kick-off. The Ligue 1 side had already played twice in their domestic league, while Valencia were making their competitive debut, with La Liga set to kick off this weekend.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
But it was Valencia who started brightly, scoring in just the fourth minute. Rodrigo De Paul crossed from the left for Sofiane Feghouli, who nodded the ball down at the back post. Both Paco Alcacer and Rodrigo were unmarked in the middle following some poor defending by Monaco, and the latter finished from close range.
Monaco gradually gained a foothold and started carving out chances as half-time approached. In the 33rd minute, Bernardo Silva saw his fierce shot tipped onto the post by Valencia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan following a mesmerizing dribble by Anthony Martial.
Martial then beat Ryan six minutes later, slamming in on the rebound, but the goal was ruled out for offside in a tight decision.
Monaco grabbed the goal their play deserved in the 49th minute, and again Martial was the key man. The 19-year-old created space on the left with his searing pace and crossed into the middle, where Ruben Vezo fluffed his clearance. The ball fell kindly to Pasalic, who hammered the rebound into the net for the equaliser.
Valencia manager Nuno Espirito Santo responded by introducing Pablo Piatti, and the substitution worked as Piatti set up Parejo's go-ahead goal in the 59th minute. Feghouli then capped a sterling performance with a goal of his own in the 86th minute, firing in on the half-volley after Monaco were unable to clear a corner.
The result bodes well for Valencia, who already have a history of performing well at this stage of the competition. According to OptaJose, the Spanish side has never lost in Champions League qualifying:
Monaco will still harbor hopes of advancing. After reaching the Champions League quarterfinals last season, Leonardo Jardim's players have the experience needed to overturn the deficit.
What's more, they have an exciting young talent in Martial. The 19-year-old helped create one goal, had another ruled out for offside and probably should have won a penalty after being hacked down in the box during the second half. His speed and ball control caused problems for Valencia throughout the evening, and more of the same is likely in store for next week's second leg.
In addition, Monaco—who play well at home anyway—have an away goal in hand. That means a 2-0 victory would be enough to advance to the group stage, as B/R contributor Jonathan Johnson noted:
The second leg is scheduled for next Tuesday in Monaco.
Griffiths at the double
Leigh Griffiths bagged a double for Celtic, who defeated Malmo 3-2 at Celtic Park, but the Swedes scored with the last kick of the game to set up a tense second leg.
Griffiths, who marks his 25th birthday on Thursday, put Celtic ahead in just the third minute, slotting in from Stefan Johansen's through ball. Johansen notched the assist again seven minutes later as Nir Bitton headed in the hosts' second.
The domination lasted until the 52nd minute, when Jo Inge Berget, a loanee at Celtic last season, pulled a goal back for Malmo. Griffiths restored Celtic's two-goal advantage with a 61st-minute header, but Berget scored again in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Malmo hope.
As BT Sport commentator Ian Darke noted, the tie rests on the proverbial "knife edge" ahead of the second leg, which is set for next Tuesday in Sweden.
Celtic manager Ronny Deila said after the match that his team has the potential to claim a result at Malmo next week.
"It could've been better but it's an OK result," he told UEFA.com's Alex O'Henley. "We played well in the first half; we were all over them and we scored two great goals. I believe we can do it in Malmo. We can beat Malmo for sure, absolutely."
Celtic departed the competition at the same stage last season after losing out to Maribor, but the Hoops will have confidence this time in part because of Griffiths' impressive form. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker has scored three times in four Scottish Premiership matches this season, and he now has five goals already in all competitions.
Around the continent
Shakhtar Donetsk look set for a return trip to the group stage following a 1-0 victory at Rapid Wien. The Ukrainians have been regulars in the competition in recent seasons, and Marlos' 44th-minute goal gives them a solid foundation ahead of next week's return leg on home soil.
The goal came just moments after Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov pulled off a fine save to deny Rapid's Louis Schaub.
If they do progress, this would mark the sixth straight season Shakhtar have appeared in the Champions League group stage.
Elsewhere, late goals produced plenty of drama for a pair of away sides.
In Switzerland, Eran Zahavi's headed equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time gave Maccabi Tel-Aviv a 2-2 draw with hosts Basel. The Swiss side had taken the lead only in the 88th minute through Breel Embolo.
Both teams scored in the first half. Maccabi took the lead as Zahavi turned in a 31st-minute free-kick, but Basel drew level through Matias Delgado's penalty just eight minutes later.
In Albania, Josip Pivaric fired in a long-distance winner in the third minute of stoppage time to give Dinamo Zagreb a 2-1 victory at Skenderbeu.
The hosts are trying to become the first Albanian club to reach the Champions League group stage, and they went ahead in the 37th minute through Blendi Shkembi. But El Arabi Hilal Soudani equalised for Dinamo midway through the second half to set up the late drama.
