Valencia and Rayo Vallecano share the spoils to move a step closer to safety

A tightly packed lower half of the LaLiga table meant both teams found themselves in the unusual position of having lingering relegation worries, alongside hopes of sneaking into the European qualification spots.

Rayo started brightly and wasted an early chance to take the lead from the penalty spot, after Renzo Saravia was penalised for bringing down Pacha in the box. Randy Nteka stepped up from 12 yards, only to see his effort crash against the post.

With their blushes saved by the woodwork, Los Che pushed forward and came agonisingly close to scoring first themselves when Javi Guerra dragged his shot inches wide of the goal.

That proved to be a costly miss, as the visitors broke the deadlock from a set piece in the 20th minute. Florian Lejeune peeled away from his marker and headed home from Gerard Gumbau’s corner for the UEFA Conference League finalists – the Frenchman’s second goal in four league appearances.

Nteka could have doubled their advantage after latching onto Gumbau’s through ball, but Stole Dimitrievski was quick off his line to deny the Angolan.

That was a vital intervention, as Valencia equalised before half time through Diego Lopez’s neat first-time finish from Hugo Duro’s cutback from the byline.

A quiet start to the second half followed, as both Carlos Corberan and Inigo Perez saw their respective injury lists grow after the enforced withdrawals of Jose Gaya and Gumbau. With Los Che already losing Renzo Saravia in the first half, it had been a particularly tough evening for the hosts.

That seemed to disrupt the flow of the game too, with both sides struggling to recapture their first-half rhythm. There were misplaced passes aplenty, as the Mestalla crowd grew increasingly restless.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between, but Cesar Tarrega would have been disappointed to see his downward header go wide in stoppage time.

Neither side found an elusive second goal in a result that inches both teams closer to preserving their respective top-flight statuses for another season.

It may have been an underwhelming domestic campaign for Perez’s men, with the possibility of European glory overshadowing their exploits in LaLiga, but this result means a respectable top-half finish is still within reach for both them and Valencia.