Late Aliou Dieng appearance as Valencia beaten by Real Betis

Valencia suffered a 1-0 home defeat by Real Betis in the second round of La Liga, with Pablo Garcia scoring the only goal of the match in the 83rd minute.

The late strike secured all three points for the visitors and left Valencia without a win from their opening two league matches. They remain 15th in the table with one point, having failed to score in either game.

Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng did not start for Valencia and was named among the substitutes. He was introduced in the 87th minute, replacing Argentina international Guido Rodriguez, but could not influence the result during the closing stages.

The defeat followed Valencia’s goalless draw with Celta Vigo in their opening fixture. A second successive match without a goal means Valencia have yet to find the net this season, while their total of one point leaves them in the lower half of the early standings.

Real Betis, meanwhile, made it two wins from two matches according to the league standings and moved level at the top with Sevilla. Their victory at Valencia was secured when Garcia struck seven minutes from the end of normal time.

The result continued a perfect start for Real Betis, who had also been credited with a 1-1 win against Real Sociedad in the opening round. The scoreline recorded for that match was 1-1, as stated in the original match account.

Valencia will therefore look to end both their wait for a first victory and their failure to score when they return to league action. Real Betis leave with maximum points after producing the decisive moment late in the contest.