Young Boys 1 Valencia 1: Hoarau penalty denies Marcelino's men

Young Boys earned its first point in the Champions League and dented Valencia's qualification hopes thanks to Guillaume Hoarau's penalty.

Published : Oct 24, 2018 00:47 IST

Guillaume Hoarau celebrates against Valencia. CREDIT: Twitter @BSC_YB
Guillaume Hoarau celebrates against Valencia. CREDIT: Twitter @BSC_YB
lightbox-info

Guillaume Hoarau celebrates against Valencia. CREDIT: Twitter @BSC_YB

Guillaume Hoarau scored Young Boys' first Champions League goal as the Swiss side came from behind to deny Valencia in a 1-1 draw at Stade de Suisse.

Both teams came into the game without a goal to their name in Group H, but Michy Batshuayi's second of the season gave Valencia a first-half lead.

Veteran striker Hoarau struck from the spot 10 minutes into the second half, and Champions League debutants Young Boys looked like the more likely side to grab a winner.

Sekou Sanogo saw a late header turned on to the post for Young Boys, the result leaving both sides without a victory after three games, with Manchester United hosting Juventus in the group's other game later on Tuesday.

Miralem Sulejmani's swerving free-kick for the hosts was comfortably saved by Neto in the only notable chance of the early stages, before Valencia moved ahead after 26 minutes.

To conclude a neat passing move, Carlos Soler's flicked pass released Batshuayi, who took two touches to breeze past goalkeeper Marco Wolfli's rush from the line and side-foot into the empty net from six yards.

Young Boys made a fast start after the break with Christian Fassnacht's header saved by a sprawling Neto and Kevin Mbabu firing wide from a presentable chance.

And it was awarded a penalty when Djibril Sow was felled by a rash challenge from Valencia captain Dani Parejo, Hoarau sending Neto the wrong way with a low spot-kick.

It took a good Neto stop to deny a Fassnacht strike on the break, while substitute Moumi Ngamaleu had a header saved as Young Boys finished strongly.

And the hosts thought they had a famous win with two minutes remaining, only for Neto to somehow tip Sanogo's header onto the post.


What it means : Draws no good for Valencia

While Young Boys will be thrilled with its opening Champions League point, it will not boost the morale of Valencia, who have now drawn six of its last seven games in all competitions, and won only one of the last nine.

In a game of two halves, Valencia controlled the pace of the game prior to the interval, but barely threatened as an attacking force after that.

Having secured a creditable draw at Old Trafford on matchday two, this will go down as a huge missed opportunity to gain ground on the two teams above them in the race to reach the last 16. When all is said and done, these dropped points could prove to be decisive for Marcelino.


Mbabu typifies Young Boys spirit

Kevin Mbabu's energy from right back typified the spirit shown by Young Boys in the second half.

The 23-year-old was an impressive force at both ends of the pitch, creating three chances in the game – more than anyone else on the pitch – and touching the ball more than anyone else.


Parejo poor again

Parejo flopped in the first Champions League game of the season against Juventus, conceding a penalty with a wild high boot on former team-mate Joao Cancelo, and going on to miss a spot-kick himself late in that game.

He did not get close to winning the ball when challenging Sow in the area here, a mistake which handed Young Boys a breakthrough and completely changed the momentum of the game. The midfielder also failed to create a single chance in the whole game.


What's next?

Valencia is away to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Saturday, while Young Boys will look for a first win in five games at home to Sion on the same day. The two teams meet again in matchday four of this competition on November 7 at Mestalla, a game that has to be must-win for the Spanish team.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment