Valencia climbed out of the La Liga relegation zone with a crucial 2-0 victory over local rivals Levante at the Ciutat de Valencia on Sunday in a fiercely contested Valencian derby that had huge implications for both sides. Largie Ramazani broke the deadlock with a left-footed volley in the 64th minute before Umar Sadiq sealed the win with a clinical one-on-one finish in the 84th minute, as Valencia completed a league double over their neighbours for the first time in a single season. The result was a devastating blow for Levante, whose relegation fears deepened significantly after losing the local derby in front of 22,967 fans.
The first half was a tense, cagey affair with neither side willing to commit too many players forward for fear of being caught on the counter-attack. Both teams understood the enormous stakes of the fixture, and the nervous energy inside the Ciutat de Valencia was palpable as challenges flew in and the referee struggled to keep a lid on the increasingly fractious contest. Levante had marginally the better of the opening 45 minutes but lacked the cutting edge to turn their territorial advantage into a meaningful lead.
The decisive moment arrived in the 64th minute when Valencia struck on the break with devastating effect. Luis Rioja burst forward down the left flank and delivered a precise cross into the box where Largie Ramazani was waiting to connect with a sweetly struck left-footed volley that flew past Levante goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and into the net. The goal sent the visiting Valencia fans into wild celebrations and shifted the momentum firmly in their favour. Levante's task became even more difficult when Kervin Arriaga received his second yellow card and was sent off, leaving the hosts to play the closing stages with ten men.
Valencia showed clinical efficiency to wrap up the points in the 84th minute. Javi Guerra played an incisive through ball that released Umar Sadiq in behind the Levante defence, and the Nigerian striker kept his composure to round Ryan and finish into the empty net. The goal completed a comprehensive derby victory and sparked jubilant scenes among the Valencia supporters, who sensed that the three points could prove pivotal in their battle for survival. Sadiq's strike also marked his growing importance to the Valencia attack as the season entered its decisive phase.
The victory lifted Valencia out of the relegation places and provided a massive psychological boost ahead of a gruelling run of fixtures. For Levante, the defeat compounded an already difficult campaign and left them staring at the very real prospect of dropping out of the top flight. The derby double completed by Valencia added salt to the wound, as it marked the first time in club history that Los Che had beaten their neighbours both home and away in a single La Liga campaign. With survival on the line for both clubs, the Valencian derby delivered all the drama and tension that such occasions demand, and it was Valencia who emerged with the prize that matters most in such fixtures: three vital points.
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