Deportivo La Coruna’s 3-1 Win Comes Despite Valencia’s Possession Advantage

Deportivo La Coruna secured a 3-1 victory over Valencia at Estadio Riazor on Sunday, turning an even-looking contest into a decisive home win. The result leaves Deportivo unbeaten after three La Liga matches, while Valencia suffered a second defeat in their opening three fixtures.

Fast start sets the tone

Deportivo took the lead in the 13th minute when C. Tarrega was recorded with an own goal. Four minutes later, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the advantage, finishing a move assisted by Mario Soriano. Valencia responded in the 26th minute through Umar Sadiq, reducing the deficit before half-time and keeping the visitors firmly in the contest.

The second half produced the decisive moment. M. Diakhaby was recorded with an own goal in the 59th minute, restoring Deportivo’s two-goal lead at 3-1. Valencia made three changes immediately afterward, sending on H. Duro, D. Otorbi and A. Danjuma in the 60th minute, while Pepelu was replaced by A. Dieng six minutes later. Deportivo also introduced T. Gijselhart and Y. Hernandez as the match progressed.

Valencia had more of the ball

The statistics show that the scoreline did not reflect complete territorial control by the hosts. Valencia held 55% possession and completed 467 passes at an 86% accuracy rate, compared with Deportivo’s 45% possession, 378 accurate passes and 84% accuracy. Both teams attempted 11 shots, although Deportivo edged the shots on target count 4-3.

Deportivo’s efficiency in the key moments proved more important than Valencia’s passing advantage. The hosts also produced five corners to Valencia’s five and had the slightly higher expected-goals figure, 1.42 to 1.22. Valencia created six shots inside the box, one more than Deportivo, but could not turn that attacking activity into a second goal after Sadiq’s first-half finish.

Aubameyang leads the ratings

Aubameyang was the standout performer, receiving a match rating of 7.9. He played 93 minutes, scored once and registered three shots on target, helping Deportivo establish their early advantage. Sadiq was Valencia’s highest-rated player at 7.7 after scoring and adding a key pass.

Discipline remained limited, with just two yellow cards: Diakhaby was booked in the 64th minute and A. Altimira in the 90th. Deportivo’s victory improves their record from two successive draws to five points from three matches, while Valencia remain on one point after a draw and two defeats. The supplied table had listed Deportivo 13th and Valencia 17th before the latest result.