Osasuna 1 - Valencia 2

Osasuna: Nuno; Yanguas, Mateo, Vidakovic, Cruchaga; Angel (Alfonso 54'), Palacios; Lekumberri, Sabino, Sena (Alex 38'); Armentano. 4-2-3-1.
Valencia: Cañizares; Ayala, Djukic, Björklund, Carboni; Mendieta, Zahovic, Baraja, Kily González; Juan Sánchez, Carew. 4-4-2.

Team changes: Osasuna: Yanguas, Lekumberri, Armentano for Alfonso, Alfredo, Iván Rosado / Valencia: Björklund for Anglomá.

Goals:
1-0. 05. Mateo. Bending free kick from edge of area around defensive wall.
1-1. 18. Cruchaga (own goal). Turned Mendieta's cross past his keeper.
1-2. 86. Carew. First time shot after good work by Baraja and Deschamps

They call it the luck of the champions. Osasuna did enough to win this match, and at least merited a point, but Valencia stole in at the end to take all three and hold on to their place at the top of the first division. In all the second half Valencia stayed in their side of the field as Osasuna threw everything forward, with Cañizares on his best form stopping shots from Alex and Armentano amongst others, and Mendieta clearing off the line with the keeper beaten. Then in their first attack of the half with four minutes to go, Deschamps flicked the ball up for Baraja, and he put Carew through to score. In fact the Osasuna defence appeared to stop as Carew took the ball, and two or three of them said afterwards that they thought the referee had blown his whistle, although it may have come from the crowd. Even then Osasuna could have levelled, but Lekumberri's header cannoned off the post two minutes from time to groans from their public.

Valencia had special reasons to win this match, as they were humiliated in the Spanish cup last year when Osasuna were still a second division club. Cañizares had a nightmare evening on his return from a long injury, and the Navarrans won 3-0 and knocked their opponents out of the competition. Cúper was conscious of this and put out his best side, having rested players in their Champions League match midweek. He did however lose Angloma to an injury in training, and with Gerardo left out the squad being close to signing for Sevilla, he brought in Ayala as makeshift right back. Then in the pre-match warm up Pellgrino injured himself, Björklund standing in at short notice. Osasuna manager Lotina finally let himself be convinced by the ever encroaching 4-2-3-1 formation, changing his 3-3-2-2 for the first time this season. With Alfredo out for two months with a broken elbow he picked up in the last game, Lekumberri came back in to the side. Yanguas returned from suspension, and Armentano was preferred in the sole striker's role up front.

Osasuna scored early in the first half, Mateo bending a free kick round the outside of the defensive wall and into the bottom corner of the net, much to the disgust of Cañizares. Then Cruchaga's bad luck continued, and after handling the ball last week and giving away a penalty, this time he deflected Mendieta's cross past his own keeper. Valencia had one other good chance in the first half, Nuno saving from Mendieta and Zahovic failing to capitalise on the rebound, but after that it was all Osasuna until Valencia's goal. The result leaves the Pamplona based side in seventeenth place, only two points now from the bottom of the table, and Miguel Angel Lotina may be the next manager to feel the pinch if he doesn't get quick results.