Real Betis secured a second successive 1-0 victory to begin their LaLiga campaign with a perfect record after Pablo Garcia’s late goal condemned Valencia to defeat at Mestalla Stadium.
Valencia had controlled much of the match and created the better chances, but were unable to turn their dominance into a goal. Their defeat means Los Che have won only one of their past 10 matches played in August, drawing three and losing six.
The result came after Valencia’s disappointing goalless draw with Celta Vigo at the weekend. This was their official gameweek one fixture, while Real Betis arrived having already beaten Real Sociedad.
Valencia immediately showed greater urgency and could have taken the lead inside the opening 15 minutes. Real Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles was required to make two quick saves, first blocking Arnaut Danjuma’s effort at his near post before recovering to deny Ryunosuke Sato with a low stop after the forward had collected the rebound.
Carlos Corberan’s side continued to dominate possession and territory during the first half, but their finishing let them down. Danjuma sent an attempt wide midway through the opening period, while Mouctar Diakhaby headed off target from a corner.
Real Betis struggled to impose themselves and failed to register a shot on target before the interval.
Valencia maintained the pressure after the restart and again threatened to break through. Sato saw a double effort blocked inside the penalty area as the home side continued to search for a reward for their control of the contest.
With the match taking on an almost pre-season tempo, both managers made changes around the hour mark in an effort to inject more energy into their teams.
However, the game appeared to be drifting towards a goalless draw before Real Betis produced the decisive moment in the 83rd minute.
Two substitutes combined to punish Valencia. Fran Garcia advanced down the left and delivered an early cross into the penalty area, where Pablo Garcia arrived to guide the ball into the net and put the visitors ahead.
Valencia pushed forward in the closing stages, but Manuel Pellegrini’s side defended their lead and absorbed the late pressure to claim all three points.
The victory gives Real Betis consecutive wins at the start of a LaLiga season for the first time since 2022. For Corberan, the defeat will be particularly frustrating because Valencia have failed to score in both of their opening home matches.
Real Betis’ defensive resilience, led by the performance of Valles, ultimately proved enough to secure a victory that seemed unlikely for much of the evening. Valles was named Flashscore Man of the Match.
