Valencia 6-0 Rapid Vienna, Thursday 18th February 2016

Valencia 6-0 Rapid Vienna, Europa League Round of 32, 1st leg, att. 28,831

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‘There are no easy games anymore.’  Unless you have Rapid Vienna in a Europa League round of 32 tie at home.  Valencia were 5 nil up after 34 minutes through a mix of sumptuous speedy attacking play and downright inept defending.  I must have seen the same goal 4 times as an unmarked player on the overlap cut the ball back or crossed low for Valencia to slide home.  It was all too easy.

Why DO Valencia have a bat motif?

Rapid rapidly crumbled: 2 down in 9 minutes, game over.  The early opener (4 mins) visibly sucked Rapid’s confidence.  Even before the second, a loose pass from the Viennese right back to the centre half saw the latter hesitate, retreat and cede possession to a centre forward bereft of the ability to then draw out the defender and slip it to his outside for another Valencian to have a one on one.  The writing was on the wall.

Orange overload.  The back of the Main Stand.

The odd goal out was when Valencia broke whatever transpired for an offside trap and the player rounded the keeper before slipping it under him.  I felt for the keeper, he was helpless while those in front of him were hapless.  Sometimes, there were 15 yards between the defensive and midfield lines allowing a single yellow/orange to infiltrate space and orchestrate damage.  Whatthehell was Rapid’s coach doing if not coaching?

Pre-match panorama.

Luckily thereafter Valencia eased off the throttle, the tie already over with approximately one-sixth of it having been played.  Perhaps Valencia were aware of their own embarrassment a fortnight earlier, losing the opening leg of the Copa del Rey 07 v Barca?

In comparison to the speed and impetus of the first half, the second was played out at a much more pedestrian pace.  Rapid missed a glorious chance, a close range header well saved, before the homesters put the cherry on the icing with a late 6th, a through ball finished low.

Under the stand.  Orange overload.

All in all, the Mestalla was a great experience, despite the low key nature of the game itself Rapid brought 3000, most of whom marched to the ground together making for a fantastic sight and sound. Booking a ticket and using the print at home function was as easy as it comes and then Valencia had reduced prices accordingly; €12 in the cheap seats but I went large and paid €22 for a seat on the halfway line in the second tier.  Great view and to put into context, the seats were to be €50 and €60 for upcoming games v Athletic and Athletico.  (This seems de rigueur for Spain, massive price hikes for the big games.  One could see Levante v Getafe for €20 but the minimum price v Real was to be €50.  Crazy.  But why not charge a supplement for all those folk who only come out to watch Real, Barca, etc?)

Yes Sir!

For a change tonight I also had company.  I commented to Richard, an Oriental Australian now living in Seattle that I was off to the match and he said so was he.  So we walked the 20 minutes from town, had a couple of beers from some bar right next to Mestalla, before entering and being mesmerised by the steep rake of the stands.  When you see the size of the stadium, it's difficult to comprehend how the Bernabeu or the Camp Nou can fit in 30-40000 more.

During half time and the 2nd half, I buzzed around the stand, attempting to find the elusive staircase(s) that would bring me out at the highest tier.  For once I was trying to sneak into the CHEAPER seats, but it was all to no avail.  I suspect the highest tier had a completely different entrance gate.

One fan gets around that age old 'dust on seat' problem.

As for atmosphere, the steep rake traps the noise inside - a reason no doubt why it's apparently popular with the Spanish national team.  But tonite, it was only the ultras in the lower tier behind the goal.  Rarely did the rest join in, despite the goal glut.  Rapid meantime made plenty of noise early on, but shut up after 9 mins.  I wonder why.  Still, their players perhaps got their just desserts, as they had the ignominy of sharing their flight back the following day with the fans, who notably ignored them.  (2 planes left at the same time for Vienna, Fri morn, so there were plenty of fans about.)  Was it politeness, anger or shame which brought their cold shoulders out for the players and staff?
For the Rapid fans, their European adventure was over.  They'd travelled in good numbers, probably expecting the worst (but not this bad).  It's not like these (overly) optimistic Arsenal fans I know, saving their away-day adventures 'for the later rounds' (ie, the last 16).

This lad's arm was aching by half time.

The Damage:€22 ent
€3.50 tortilla boccadillo
€27 (from Madrid)
€50 shirt

The Tunes:
Pablo Honey - Radiohead
Kid A - Radionhead
Portishead - Portishead
Singles Collection (The London Years) - The Rolling Stones
So Tonight That  Might See - Mazzy Star

Interesting angles at Mestalla

Higher than the floodlights!

The view from outside.

Main Stand and press entrance (left).

4 floors of orange

Price list for upcoming Athletic game.

Behind the goal.

Corner panorama.

Pre-match view.

I think it's called this cos of the height.

The Main Stand (smaller than the rest).

The ultras' end.

Rapid are in the top right.

Somewhere up there are the Rapid fans

Final score.

The home end, after match.

Goodbye...