Bursaspor 0-4 Valencia - Valencia run riot in Turkey

Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by PA

Valencia kicked off their Champions League Group C campaign with a thumping away 4-0 win in Turkey.

Bursaspor beat Istanbul giants Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce to win their domestic title last season but had no answer against the Spanish Primera Division side tonight.

Facundo Costa and Aritz Aduriz scored in the first half and Pablo Hernandez and substitute Roberto Soldado added a deserved coat of gloss after the interval.

Leonal Nunez's header forced Valencia keeper Cesar into an early save but Joaquin's cross was headed goalwards by Aduriz as the visitors set the tone.

Omer Erdogan blocked that effort but there was nothing anybody could do in the 16th minute when Costa let fly from 25 yards with his left foot and found the top-left corner of Dimitar Ivankov's goal.

That early setback knocked the hosts onto the back foot and the game went somewhat flat, Valencia's Alejandro Dominguez heading over the bar from a narrow angle from a rare sight of goal.

Nunez was off target from long range before Mehmet Topal met Joaquin's corner at the other end but saw his shot blocked by Ivan Ergic.

But the five minutes before half-time saw Valencia score a second as well as hitting the woodwork twice.

First Costa hit the crossbar with a free-kick after Volkan Sen fouled Jeremy Mathieu 25 yards out, and then Aduriz doubled his side's lead with a header from six yards.

Ergic blocked a Joaquin effort before Pablo also found the crossbar from 12 yards in stoppage time.

Nunez fired another long-range effort over before being withdrawn on the hour along with Huseyin Cimsir, with Sercan Yildirim and Turgay Mahadir replacing the pair.

It was to no avail, though, as Pablo again took possession 12 yards out and this time made no mistake as he found the bottom corner in the 68th minute.

Soldado then replaced Aduriz in the 72nd minute and took just four minutes to add his name to a crowded scoresheet.

After Joaquin had shot wide of the near post, Los Che's next attack saw Costa play in the new arrival to finish low across Ivankov.

Federico Insua flashed a shot wide as the Green Crocs sought a consolation but Valencia soared to the top of the group after the opening week.