Valencia 3-1 Young Boys: Santi Mina scores twice in Champions League clash as La Liga outfit end winless drought at home
- Santi Mina opened the scoring for Valencia in the 14th minute on Wednesday
- But Valencia were then pegged back on 37 minutes through Roger Assale
- However, Mina regained Valencia’s lead just before the half-time whistle
- Carlos Soler Barragan then put the game beyond doubt in the 56th minute
- Young Boys’ Sekou Sanogo was shown a straight red card with the score at 3-1
Valencia ended their winless drought at home with a 3-1 victory over Young Boys on Wednesday in the Champions League.
Santi Mina scored twice in the first half and Carlos Soler added a goal after half time to give the Spanish club their first win in seven matches at the Mestalla Stadium.
The victory – Valencia’s third overall this season – left the team with five points in Group H, two points behind second-placed Manchester United who remarkably came from a goal down to beat Juventus 2-1 in Turin.
Carlos Soler and Santi Mina were on the scoresheet as Valencia overcame Young Boys 3-1
Soler put the game beyond doubt, scoring Valencia’s third goal of the evening on Wednesday
Former Arsenal centre back Gabriel celebrates Soler’s third goal early in the second half
Sekou Sanogo was shown a straight red in the 77th minute for a tackle on Francis Coquelin
Santi Mina scored twice for Valencia in the first half against the Swiss outfit on Wednesday
The current state of play after four games each in Champions League Group H
Swiss champion Young Boys, making their debut in the group stage, stayed on one point in last place.
The Swiss side played with a man down from the 77th minute as Sekou Sanogo was sent off with a straight red card for a dangerous sliding tackle on Valencia midfielder Francis Coquelin.
Young Boys held Valencia to a 1-1 draw in Bern two weeks ago.
Mina opened the scoring from close range in the 14th minute after an angled shot by Soler hit the post. Young Boys equalized with a low strike by Roger Assale in the 37th, but Mina put the hosts ahead again after a right-side cross by Soler in the 42nd.
Soler scored the third on a breakaway in the 56th, sending a low shot into the far corner.
Mina celebrates scoring his second goal of the evening at the Mestalla Stadium
Mina strikes home past David Von Ballmoos to put Valencia in a commanding 2-1 lead
The 22-year-old Spaniard is mobbed by his team-mates after putting Valencia 2-1 up
Mina opened the scoring for the La Liga side in the 14th minute of the Champions League clash
Despite entering the season with high expectations after a fourth-place finish in the Spanish league, Valencia have endured a disappointing campaign so far.
They have drawn 10 of their 16 matches, with three wins and three losses. They are 15th in the Spanish league standings, two points away from the relegation zone after 11 matches.
This was the first time that Valencia scored more than two goals in a game this season.
Young Boys made it to the group stage of the Champions League for the first time this season after ending a 32-year wait for a Swiss league title.
Roger Assale equalised for Young Boys in the 37th minute at the Mestalla Stadium
Assale pictured firing past Valencia goalkeeper Neto during the opening half on Wednesday