‘He saved me’ – Ex-Real Madrid man thanks Super Eagles star Umar Sadiq after Valencia win

Spanish forward Hugo Duro has set aside personal rivalry to appreciate Valencia teammate Umar Sadiq for saving his blushes in the win at Athletic Bilbao, Afrik-Foot reports.

Sadiq was the hero for Valencia on Sunday as he came off the bench to head home the winner in a rare 1-0 away victory for the relegation battlers.

No Valencia player or fan, though, will savor the Nigeria international striker’s goal more than former Madrid man Duro.

For much of this year, the battle for Valencia’s centre-forward role has been one of the most closely watched stories at Mestalla. Hugo Duro and Umar Sadiq have spent months competing for the same starting spot, the same minutes and the same trust from coach Carlos Corberán. At Athletic Bilbao on Saturday night, however, rivalry gave way to gratitude.

After Valencia secured a priceless 1-0 victory at San Mamés, Duro embraced Sadiq in the dressing room and later posted a message on social media that quickly caught supporters’ attention.

“He saved me,” wrote the former Spain youth international as per Marca.

The message carried weight because only minutes earlier Duro had endured one of the most painful moments of his season.

Valencia arrived in Bilbao knowing the stakes were enormous. With only a few matches remaining in the La Liga campaign, every point mattered in their fight to stay clear of relegation trouble.

Athletic Club, meanwhile, were chasing European ambitions in front of a loud home crowd at San Mamés.

The opening stages were tense and physical. Nico Williams threatened first for the hosts after 15 minutes, racing forward on a counter-attack before dragging his effort wide of Stole Dimitrievski’s goal. Valencia responded through Duro, whose movement and pressing constantly troubled Athletic’s back line.

The visitors slowly gained confidence. José Gayà produced an important defensive intervention to stop Oihan Sancet from scoring, while Javi Guerra tried his luck from a free-kick after Duro won a foul in a dangerous position.

Then came the turning point of the first half. Duro controlled the ball inside the penalty area and chaos followed. Valencia were eventually awarded a penalty after a handball inside the box during the scramble. The striker stepped forward with a huge chance to silence the stadium, but his effort crashed against the crossbar.

The miss visibly hurt him. Pepelu immediately tried to console his teammate as Athletic supporters roared in celebration. Yet Duro continued running, pressing and battling for every loose ball until Corberán made a change in the 69th minute. Sadiq was sent on in his place.

Sadiq delivers again for Valencia

The substitution changed the match almost instantly. Within three minutes, Valencia found the breakthrough. Javi Guerra sparked a counter-attack before the ball reached Luis Rioja on the left flank. Rioja delivered an inviting cross into the area and Sadiq reacted first, getting ahead of Dani Vivian to power a header beyond Unai Simón.

It was the Nigerian’s first touch of the game.

As the away section erupted, television cameras showed Duro celebrating wildly on the bench despite his earlier disappointment. The moment summed up the growing respect between two strikers who have spent the season fighting for the same position.

There was still work to do. Dimitrievski produced a superb save moments later to deny Unai Gómez, while Athletic pushed forward desperately in the closing stages. Sadiq nearly added a second goal near the 90th minute when he attempted an audacious chip from distance after a defensive mistake, but the effort drifted wide.

Valencia held firm to secure a victory that moved them onto 42 points and further away from danger with only three league games remaining. More importantly, the result ended a long wait for success at San Mamés, one of Spain’s most difficult stadiums for visiting sides.

The goal was another major step for Sadiq in what has become an impressive turnaround since arriving from Real Sociedad during the January transfer window.

The Super Eagles striker initially struggled for rhythm and confidence, enduring a seven-match scoring drought across March and early April. Questions were raised about whether Valencia had made the right decision to bring him in during a difficult campaign.

But the 29-year-old has answered those doubts strongly in recent weeks. His winner against Athletic Club means he now has four league goals, three assists and several important contributions since joining Valencia.

Three of those goals have come in his last four matches, including crucial strikes against Mallorca and Girona. He has also added assists and brought a stronger physical presence to Valencia’s attack with his aerial ability and hold-up play.

The former AS Roma star will hope to be in the starting line-up when Valencia host Rayo Vallecano at Mestalla on Thursday, May 14th.