Atletico Madrid, Valencia share early goals

Valencia have held Atletico Madrid to a 1-1 draw in tonight's La Liga match.

The away side were dominant in the first half but faded in the second as Atletico pushed for a winner that never came.

A lightning-fast start saw both teams score within the first six minutes. A hopeful cross from the right landed at the feet of Jonas, who fired past the goalkeeper from just inside the box to give Valencia the lead.

No sooner had the away side finished celebrating than the ball was in their net for the equaliser. Arda Turan's deep cross was met by an unmarked Radamel Falcao at the back post and the Colombian made no mistake.

The game settled down after that but Valencia continued to dominate possession, with Ever Banega pulling the strings. They should have been ahead just before half time but Thibaut Courtois produced a good double save to deny first Banega and then Nelson Valdez.

In the second half Atletico improved, pressing high up the pitch and moving the ball much quicker.

They nearly took the lead five minutes in, when Falcao released Diego Costa but his effort was well saved by Diego Alves.

Atletico continued to push forward in search of a winner but were left ultimately disappointed as they miss the chance to leapfrog Real Madrid.