Valencia edge past Granada to claim first home win of season

Friday 25 September 2015 23:22, UK

Valencia secured a much-needed 1-0 win over Granada in La Liga on Friday - their first home victory of the season.

Center back Shkodran Mustafi headed in what proved to be the winner in the 26th minute, and goalkeeper Jaume Domenech made the saves his team needed to take the points.

Valencia's disgruntled fans had called for coach Nuno Espirito Santo to be fired after their last match at the Mestalla, which ended in a draw, and that was followed by a 1-0 defeat at Espanyol on Tuesday.

Despite the win that pushed Valencia into sixth place, applause was mixed with jeers after the final whistle.

"I have always believed that we are a team that has to work to win, we aren't a team that wins easily," Mustafi said. "Today we demonstrated that we are a group."

Valencia next travel to France to play Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday, after losing at home to Zenit St Petersburg in their Champions League opener.

Granada have now lost four matches in a row and five of six matches this season.

"The result is unfair because I think we showed we were the better team, hitting the bar and creating more chances," said Ruben Rochina, whose Granada side are left in the relegation zone in 18th place.

"I am proud of how this team played tonight. With this attitude, we will turn this around."

Valencia had the better of possession in the first half although it was Granada's Javier Marquez who tested Domenech with the match's first scoring chance in the 23rd minute.

Shortly afterwards, Mustafi dove to thump Zakaria Bakkali's well-placed cross from the right flank past Andres Fernandez. The keeper got a hand on the header but failed to keep it out.

Granada almost equalised three minutes later when Youssef El Arabi turned Isaac Success' pass against the crossbar.

Domenech again had to spring into action to make a one-handed save from Rochina's free kick to protect the hosts' advantage just before half-time.

After the restart, Marquez hit a low strike through Valencia's packed area but Domenech got down well to smother it, and a nervous murmuring in the stands was heard in the final minutes as Granada pushed Valencia back in search of an equaliser.