Valencia vs Castellón

Valencia manager Carlos Corberán fielded a completely different XI in each half — standard preseason practice — with the opening 45 minutes dominated by the hosts. Luis Rioja, Javi Guerra and Hugo Duro all went close, with Rioja particularly lively after dispossessing Castellón goalkeeper Matthys just past the 20-minute mark. Castellón's only warning before the break came through an Álvaro García shot that sailed wide.

Seconds into the second half, Umar Sadiq sprinted onto a through ball and clipped the ball inches wide of the far post. It proved a costly miss. In the 49th minute, Raúl Sánchez fired Castellón ahead from inside the box, beating goalkeeper Vicent Abril to the far post. Valencia responded immediately — Dieng's strike was well saved by Saipi — but Castellón doubled their lead in the 60th minute when Jakobsen chipped Abril in a one-on-one situation.

Dieng pulled a goal back in the 88th minute with a powerful drive from outside the box, capping a strong second-half cameo. But the damage was done, and the late drama continued with Sadiq shown a straight red card (87') and Raba also sent off in stoppage time (90+4') for separate incidents.

Valencia's failure to capitalise on early second-half momentum proved decisive. Sadiq's near-miss inside 60 seconds of the restart was the clearest sign of intent — had he scored, the game's trajectory shifts entirely. Instead, Castellón scored with their first meaningful attack of the half through Raúl Sánchez, and the game was effectively out of reach by the hour mark.

A. Dieng (Valencia) — The Mali international was Valencia's brightest spark in the second half. His 88th-minute screamer from distance was a moment of genuine quality, and he had earlier forced a sharp save from Saipi. A strong audition for the season ahead.

Raúl Sánchez (Castellón) — The opener was a composed finish, and his movement stretched Valencia's defence throughout the second period. He set the tone for Castellón's second-half dominance.

A. Jakobsen (Castellón) — The Danish forward's chipped finish over Abril showed confidence and composure. His link-up play with Raúl Sánchez caused problems all half.

Vicent Abril (Valencia) — Valencia's goalkeeper played the full 90 minutes and could do little about either goal. He made several routine saves and was one of the few constants in a disjointed defensive display.

Player of the match: Raúl Sánchez (Castellón)

Valencia's two separate XIs — one per half — make raw stats unreliable, but the rhythm was clear. The hosts controlled the first 45 minutes without scoring, reflecting a lack of cutting edge in the final third. Castellón, by contrast, managed just two shots on target in the second half and scored both. The xG narrative (if available) would likely show Valencia accumulating more across the 90 minutes, but efficiency belonged to the visitors. The four cards shown in stoppage time (two yellows, two reds) speak to fraying discipline as Valencia's frustration grew.

This was Valencia's second preseason outing, following a 3-0 win over CD Eldense on 22 July. For a team rebuilding under Corberán, the performance was a step backwards — particularly the discipline issues that saw two players sent off. Castellón, coached by former Valencia midfielder Pablo Hernández, continued their own preparations with a confidence-boosting victory over their regional rivals.

Valencia now head to England for a training camp, where they face Stoke City on 1 August at 19:30 BST. Castellón's next preseason fixture was not confirmed at the time of writing.

A messy preseason affair decided by second-half clinical finishing. Valencia's rotated approach made rhythm impossible, but the two red cards will concern Corberán more than the scoreline. Dieng's goal was a rare bright spot in a match that quickly unravelled for the hosts.