Coach Javier Aguirre gave Valencia's first eleven of the season and, in the first two minutes, striker Dani Raba scored his first goal of the season, marking a turning point for the team.
Since his arrival in the city, Aguirre has shown a charisma that has influenced the atmosphere at the club, but what really matters is the way he manages the game and the decisions on the pitch. In his first appearance as a starter, the Mexican started a new chapter for Valencia, and he demonstrated it by introducing Raba into the starting eleven.
The Spanish forward had been practically sidelined by the presence of Carlos Corberán, who, unlike others, insisted on bringing him to the club. The origin of the situation dates back to a disagreement in the summer of 2025, when Raba was replaced and since then his role was reduced to a marginal role. This problem was largely attributed to Corberán, and Raba's performance in just two minutes showed that he deserved much more prominence than the eight minutes he had played this season, after a brief appearance against Deportivo A Coruña.
Aguirre made a “reset” upon his arrival and opted for Raba's quality, something that left no room for doubt. The forward responded to the Mexican's support with his first goal of the season before the first two minutes of the game were up.
With this goal, Raba becomes the first player recovered by Aguirre this season, and his performance opens the door to greater participation in the next matches. Valencia is now preparing to continue the path of improvement under the direction of Aguirre, with the expectation that Raba will continue contributing to the attack and that the team will manage to consolidate itself in the table.