Valverde: Valencia blow chance for CL spot

Valencia coach Ernesto Valverde was left to rue a missed opportunity for his side to stake a claim for Champions League qualification on Sunday.

Athletic Bilbao’s Iker Muniain struck in the 79th minute to secure all three points for the Basque side in a 1-0 win, denying Valencia the chance to move into the top four which left Valverde frustrated.

“We lost a great opportunity to enter the Champions League places,” he said.

“Bilbao pushed us, but we saw that we could hurt them. We’re not happy because we could have taken more.”

The defeat caps a disappointing week for Valencia following their mid-week Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, but Valverde insisted the team is performing well even though the results are not forthcoming.

“I’m satisfied with how we are, the team is doing well,” the 49-year-old said.

“If the problem is a matter of winning, we are working on it.

“The hardest thing is to create opportunities, and we are doing that. I would rather lose like this, deserving to win, because it means that we’re in a good way.”