Valencia worked hard to draw level in the second half with goals from Joao Cancelo and Andre Gomes, it was not enough unfortunately as Hulk and Alex Witsel combined for three goals to take all three points back to Russia, opening up group play with a 2-3 victory at La Mestalla.
Hulk first half double gives Zenit huge advantage
Cancelo was active early in this match, getting a shot away in the second minute that just flashed wide of the far post. Sofaine Feghouli sent in a low cross across the front of goal where Pablo Piatti nearly got on the end of it. In the ninth minute, however, the visitors would go down the other end of the pitch, after the botched attack just before, and score through the Brazilian winger, Hulk. He placed the ball perfectly beyond a diving Juame Domenech.
After a blistering start to the match, play settled down a little after the 15th minute with Valencia controlling possession, but not providing much going forward as Andre Villas-Boas' club was happy to sit back and attack on the counter. Piatti had a close range header, off of a cross from Feghouli, nearly gave his side an equalizer, but Yuri Lodygan reacted well and kept the shot out.
With about five minutes left to go in the half, Hulk tried an audacious chip from 45 yards away only to see his shot miss the top of the cross bar. He would score his second goal seconds before the halftime interval. His favorite left foot blasted a shot from well beyond the eighteen yard box into the top of the goal.
Halftime: Valencia 0-2 Zenit St. Petersburg
Football is a cruel, cruel sport. Despite dominating possession and creating more of the chances, but if your side has a player like Hulk, he only needs one chance to score and he did just that.
Ten minutes into the second half, Valencia would find the back of the net to cut Zenit's lead in half. A cross from Joao Cancelo was miss-hit and with Lodygan off his line, the ball went past the Russian goalkeeper. The hosts continued to push on, in search for their second goal, looking for any little space to exploit. Zenit though played very compact defense and continued to frustrate Nuno's men.
Dani Parejo had an effort from the top of the eighteen yard box miss the left close by a couple of inches as Valencia were starting to get closer to that second goal. Cancelo was active from the very first minute, and with 20 minutes left to go, a dangerous cross from the right narrowly misses two Valencianistes at top of the six yard box. Any kind of touch by the two in the box would have found the back of the net.
There would finally be a second goal and it came with 17 minutes left to go in this enthralling match. Andre Gomes, who came on at the start of the second half, cut back inside on the left rifled a shot that Lodygan had saved initially, the rebound though got loose and found its way into the side netting.
Witsel breaks Els Taronges' hearts
Minutes after Valencia got their second goal, Alex Witsel placed a shot into the bottom left hand corner past a diving Domenech, quieting the supporters inside the Mestalla.
Zenit St. Petersburg would be happy with their performance, playing good defense, while hurting their opposition on the counter three times which resulted in three goals. For Nuno, he should not be too displeased with his sides display. Valencia attacked, created some good opportunities, just fell flat a couple of times on defense which cost them the match.