BARCELONA, Spain — Roger Marti’s first-half goal gave Levante a 1-0 win over Valencia in a Spanish league derby on Friday.
The Levante striker scored his 13th in all competitions. Ruben Rochina intercepted a poor pass by Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby and set up Marti in the area in the 18th minute.
Levante had already gone close from shots by Rochina, Jose Morales, and Jorge de Frutos, who hit the upright.
Valencia took to the 75th to finally test Aitor Fernandez when the Levante goalkeeper got his foot on a low strike by Manu Vallejo.
The win lifted Levante into eighth place. Levante had lost two straight, including in extra time to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey semifinals last week.
“The win feels great, a derby is always special,” Marti said. “These points are important for us after the week we had. You could see we have already moved on.”
Valencia was left in 12th after a fifth straight road game without a victory.
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