Aimar Blázquez scored twice from Rioja assists as Valencia beat Tavernes 6-0 at Mestalla, where the hosts were officially the away side. The win follows a 0-3 defeat to Real Madrid and takes Valencia into the second round.
Valencia cruised past Tavernes in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The tie was played at the Estadio de Mestalla, yet Valencia were officially the away side in their own stadium. The RFEF had granted Tavernes’ request to stage the match there.
Valencia were four goals up inside 23 minutes
Raba opened the scoring in the first minute, with Blázquez providing the assist. Raba then turned provider for Duro in the 11th minute. Rioja added the third in the 19th minute after a pass from Martinez. A fourth goal arrived through Elliott in the 23rd minute.
Tavernes goalkeeper Mainar kept the margin there three minutes into the second half. He saved a header from Blázquez, who had been set up by Raba. The number 37 struck in the 57th minute and again in the 69th. Danjuma replaced him after 70 minutes, when Gayà also came on for Rioja.
Three players were booked. Ugrinic was cautioned in the ninth minute and Montilla of Tavernes in the 22nd. Rioja picked up a yellow card in the 49th minute.
Tavernes came closest to a goal when Erik struck the post after a short corner. EFE described the visitors as a sixth-tier club and reported that close to 40 coaches carried their fans to Mestalla. Their municipal ground was not fit for the tie. Mestalla is in its final season before the move to Nou Mestalla.
The original 9pm kick-off fell to the RFEF’s postponements
A 9pm start had been planned for the tie. Every Copa del Rey match scheduled for that day was called off by the RFEF, and this one was among them.
Tavernes reached the first round through the two-legged preliminary round against UD Maracena. The first leg was played at the CD Maracena ground on Sunday 27 September 2026. The two sides drew 1-1 and 0-0.
For Valencia, the Real Madrid loss had itself followed a 1-0 win over Elche and a 1-2 defeat to Villarreal. Javier Aguirre said he took positive conclusions from the tie. He welcomed the return of players who had been out long-term. He also said Valencia now need to win in the league.
The cup calendar continues with the round of 32 on 16 December. The last 16 follows on 6 January and the quarter-finals on 13 January. The semi-finals are the only two-legged round, with first legs on 10 February and second legs on 3 March. The competition runs until 24 April 2027.
Valencia return to league action away to Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas on Saturday 21 November.
Sources
About Author
