Zaragoza 1 - Valencia 1

Zaragoza: Juanmi; Gurenko, Aguado, Paco, Pablo; José Ignacio, Toro Acuña; Juanele (Ferrón 75'), Jamelli (Montenegro 84'), Vellisca; Esnaider. 4-2-3-1.
Valencia: Cañizares; Ayala, Djukic, Pellegrino; Angloma, Mendieta (Deschamps 75'), Baraja (Albelda 80'), Vicente; Angulo; Juan Sánchez (Aimar 60'), Carew. 3-4-1-2.

Team changes: Zaragoza: Toro Acuña for Aragón / Valencia: Angulo, Vicente for Kily González, Aimar.

Goals:
1-0. 06. Esnaider. Took through ball and shot wide of Cañizares.
1-1. 71. Mendieta (penalty). After Aguado adjudged to have pushed Angulo.

A controversial penalty decision in the second half by referee Prados García gave Valencia a point to keep them in touch with the leading group. Héctor Cúper was forced to make last minute changes to his line up as Carboni aggravated an old groin strain in the warm up session (an injury which will keep him out for three weeks), and with Aimar still not fully recovered from flu and Kily González rested for Wednesday night's Champions League tie at Sturm Graz, he went back to his alternative line up with three at the back. However they found themselves behind early on after a long Juanmi clearance reached Esnaider by way of Juanele and Jamelli, the Argentinian striker netting his sixth goal of the season since joining on loan from Juventus in December.

Zaragoza had scored no less than 18 goals in their last four home games, and it looked as if they were on the way to another big tally. However Valencia are a better quality team than the Zaragoza's recent visitors, and they held back the tide as the Aragonés side swept forward. Cañizares, celebrating his return to the Spanish national side midweek, saved twice from Esnaider, and José Ignacio and Jamelli shot wide on other occasions. Valencia's only replies were on rare counter attacks, with Mendieta shooting wide and Carew finally getting free of his marker to get a shot on target.

The game continued in the same vein in the second half, with Toro Acuña, back after a one match suspension, firing in a couple of long range free kicks to bring the best out of Cañizares. Cúper decided to put on Aimar, and although he had a quiet thirty minutes, Valencia did get the goal they were looking for after Angulo fell dramatically after a slight contact with Aguado. Prados García has given more penalties than any other referee this season, and he didn't doubt to point to the spot, Mendieta thankfully stepping up to beat Juanmi with the kick. Zaragoza had let them off the hook, and they miss out on a couple of points which would have taken them to mid-table. Valencia record their seventh game in a row in all competitions without defeat, and they stay third, now only two points behind Deportivo, who lost at Mallorca. A win on Wednesday night in Austria will also take them in to the quarter finals of the Champions League and give them a bit of breathing space to dedicate their full resources to the league again. This one was too close a shave.