La Liga: Valencia gets back on track with hard-fought win over Girona

VALENCIA:  Valencia CF prevailed over Girona 2-1, snapping a two-match La Liga losing streak that saw the club drop from second to third in the Spanish-league standings.

Spanish midfielder Cristian Portu, better known as Portu, on Saturday gave Girona the lead eight minutes into the game at Mestalla Stadium when he headed home Johan Mojica's cross, reports Efe.

Although Valencia struggled to react after conceding the early goal, it began asserting its control of the game after the 15-minute mark against a well-organized rival.

The home side's insistence paid off in the 27th minute when Portuguese midfielder Gonçalo Guedes penetrated Girona's defence and got off a shot that led to an own goal by defender Jonas Ramalho.

Each club produced more scoring chances over the next 20 minutes but the score remained 1-1 at the half time.

When the match resumed, Valencia needed three minutes to score the second goal after the referee awarded a penalty for Girona defender Pablo Maffeo's takedown of defender Jose Luis Gaya in the area.

Daniel Parejo successfully converted the penalty, which proved to be decisive.

With the win, third-placed Valencia now has 37 points, eight behind La Liga-leading Barcelona.