Nigerian forward Umar Sadiq has heaped praises on his side’s performance after they edged closer to safety with a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Los Che moved five points clear of the drop zone with only three games left to play after sealing their 11th league win of the season.
Former Real Sociedad striker Sadiq scored the only goal of the game in the second half of the clash, just two minutes after coming on to seal the important win for his side.
It marked his third goal in four games as he continues to lead their survival battle as they look to retain their top flight status next season.
The 29-year-old has been in impressive form since joining Los Che in January, but started the game on the bench, with Hugo Duro preferred to him.
However, the Spanish forward missed a golden chance to open scoring in the first half when he struck the crossbar with a penalty kick.
Sadiq then came on in the 70th minute, and got on the scoresheet with a good header two minutes later, sealing the win for Valencia.
Everything Sadiq said after Valencia’s latest win
Reacting to the result, Umar Sadiq expressed satisfaction with his side’s performance and has urged them to grind out results in their remaining games this season.
“These are three very important points for the team. We have to keep going like this”, the former Almeria forward said.
“It was the first ball I touched, but the most important thing is the team, that we work together. Winning here is very important, at a tough stadium. We all knew that. We’re very happy.
“Now we’re going to play at Mestalla. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy today, but we always try to give our best”, he concluded.
Valencia face Rayo Vallecano on Thursday in the La Liga and will be eyeing a win to secure their status in the top flight ahead of next season. Los Che will then play Real Sociedad and Barcelona in their final two games to close out the 2025-26 season.
