Former Real Madrid player thanks Super Eagles striker Umar Sadiq after Valencia win

Spanish striker Hugo Duro put his personal competition aside to commend Valencia teammate Umar Sadiq for rescuing his reputation in the victory at Athletic Bilbao, Afrik‑Foot reports.

Umar Sadiq was the decisive figure for Valencia on Sunday, entering the match from the bench and heading the winning goal in a rare 1‑0 away triumph for the club fighting relegation.

No player or supporter at Valencia will celebrate the Nigerian forward’s strike more than former Real Madrid player Duro.

Throughout much of this season, the contest for Valencia’s centre‑forward position has been one of the most closely monitored storylines at Mestalla. Hugo Duro and Umar Sadiq have spent months vying for the same starting berth, the same minutes on the pitch and the same confidence from coach Carlos Corberán. At Athletic Bilbao on Saturday night, however, rivalry gave way to gratitude.

After Valencia secured a vital 1‑0 win at San Mamés, Duro embraced Sadiq in the dressing room and later shared a message on social media that quickly attracted the attention of supporters.

Umar Sadiq of Valencia CF. Copyright: xIvanxTerronxIMAGO

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

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

Valencia arrived in Bilbao aware of the high stakes. With only a handful of matches left in the La Liga campaign, every point was crucial in their battle to stay clear of the relegation zone.

Athletic Club, on the other hand, were pursuing European qualification in front of a vociferous home crowd at San Mamés.

The opening phases were tense and physical. Nico Williams created the first danger for the hosts after 15 minutes, sprinting forward on a counter‑attack before sending his effort wide of Stole Dimitrievski’s goal. Valencia answered through Duro, whose movement and pressing constantly troubled Athletic’s back line.

Valencia forward Hugo Duro. Copyright: xIbaixTudancaxIMAGO

The visitors gradually built confidence. José Gayà made a crucial defensive intervention to deny Oihan Sancet a goal, while Javi Guerra attempted a free‑kick after Duro won a foul in a dangerous area.

The turning point of the first half arrived when Duro controlled the ball inside the penalty area, leading to a chaotic scramble. Valencia were eventually awarded a penalty after a handball inside the box. The striker stepped up with a prime opportunity to silence the stadium, but his shot struck the crossbar.

The miss visibly upset him. Pepelu immediately moved to console his teammate as Athletic supporters celebrated. Nevertheless, Duro kept running, pressing and contesting every loose ball until Corberán introduced a change in the 69th minute, bringing Sadiq onto the field.

Sadiq delivers again for Valencia

The substitution altered the match almost instantly. Within three minutes, Valencia found the breakthrough. Javi Guerra initiated a counter‑attack that reached Luis Rioja on the left flank. Rioja sent an inviting cross into the box, and Sadiq reacted first, getting ahead of Dani Vivian to power a header past Unai Simón.

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

As the away section erupted, television cameras captured Duro celebrating exuberantly on the bench despite his earlier disappointment. The scene highlighted the growing respect between two strikers who have spent the season competing for the same role.

Work still remained. Dimitrievski produced an excellent save moments later to deny Unai Gómez, while Athletic pushed forward desperately in the closing stages. Sadiq almost added a second goal near the 90th minute when he tried an audacious chip from distance after a defensive error, but the effort drifted wide.

Valencia held firm to secure a victory that lifted them to 42 points and further away from danger with only three league games left. More importantly, the result ended a long wait for success at San Mamés, one of Spain’s most challenging venues for visiting teams.

Valencia forward Umar Sadiq. Copyright IMAGO

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

The Super Eagles striker initially struggled to find rhythm