Valencia coach heaps praises on Sadiq
Valencia coach Carlos Corberan has praised Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar who led the line and fired the team to a 2-1 win over Valladolid on Saturday.
Los Ches continued their battle to stay alive in La Liga when they welcomed Valladolid to the Mestalla on Saturday and the Super Eagles striker rose to the occasion in the absence of their preferred striker, Hugo Duro.
Juanmi Latasa equalised late in the first half after Diego Lopez scored the opener for Valencia in the 7th minute but the Nigerian restored their lead 13 minutes into the second half with a sublime finish to make it 2-1.
The strike was just enough for Los Ches to seal the win and the result took Valencia two places up to 16th with 27 points after 27 games. They are now one point above the relegation zone.
Following the result, Valencia coach Corberan expressed his satisfaction with Sadiq’s performance. He also praised the Nigerian for his mentality.
“I have three great forwards because Sadiq is showing it. Hugo has shown it, but he is not available at the moment. The same goes for Rafa Mir. I have absolute and full confidence in the three forwards we have,” Corberan said.
“I think that Sadiq exemplifies what the game was like. A game with mistakes at times. And with the mentality to recover from those situations that he had. A game of not losing faith, of assistance, until achieving the objective.
“I think there is a parallel between what Sadiq did during the game and what the team did.”
Following Sadiq’s newly found form, coach Corberan could have a big headache once Duro is fully fit. Duro is the first-choice striker at Valencia, but Sadiq is now staking a claim on that position.
Sadiq joined Valencia on loan from Real Sociedad in January and his form might be enough to secure a permanent move for him.
With four goals in his last four LaLiga games, the 28-year-old is also making a strong case for his inclusion in the final 23-man list for Nigeria’s crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
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