Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar scored his first league goal of the season as Valencia secured a crucial 2-0 win over Levante in their derby clash on Sunday, Bold Sports reports.
The Nigerian international, who completed a permanent move to Valencia from Real Sociedad in the January transfer window, was introduced in the 58th minute and wrapped up the victory for the visitors with a late goal.
Following a tightly contested first half that saw just one shot on target between both teams, Valencia broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. Largie Ramazani capped off a swift counter-attacking move with a stunning volley into the top corner to hand the visitors the lead.
20 minutes later, Sadiq Umar put the result beyond doubt with another swift counter-attacking move. This time, the Nigerian striker dispossessed a Levante defender, surged forward with purpose, and coolly fired the ball past the goalkeeper to seal the derby victory for Valencia.
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In the closing stages of the match, Levante midfielder Kervin Arriaga was sent off after he was shown a yellow card for a foul and responded by applauding the referee’s decision. The referee interpreted it as dissent and promptly issued a second yellow card, capping off a disappointing night for the hosts.
The result means that Valencia climb up to 14th on the La Liga table with 26 points, two points ahead of the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Levante remain 19th on the table with 18 points after 23 games.
Sadiq Umar has now scored four goals across all competitions this season and two in his last three games. The striker will be hoping to continue his decent form when Valencia travel to face Villarreal in their next league match next Sunday.
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