New Delhi: Valencia could not hold onto their lead as Dynamo Kiev punished them for over-ambition late in the game.
Artem Kravets scored twice to send Valencia crashing out of the UEFA Cup on the away goals rule this evening.
The striker gave Dynamo Kiev the lead before half-time and then scored with just 15 minutes left to put his side into the next round.
It was a disappointing end to the evening for Valencia who seemed to be in control of the match thanks to goals from Carlos Marchena and Asier Del Horno.
However, they were perhaps a bit too ambitious at 2-1 and paid for it as Kravets finished off a swift counter-attacking move late in the game.
In very different conditions to the first-leg in Kiev it was a similar kind of start, as both sides battled for possession and lots of passes were wasted. The home team controlled much of the play but the visitors went close early, first through Sergey Kravchenko, who headed just over, and then Roman Eremenko, who drilled a shot just wide of the post.
Valencia saw a lot of the ball in midfield and it was no surprise that Manuel Fernandes was one of the first to threaten, as he saw a close-range effort cleared off the line by Kravchenko. The game was growing more and more open as both sides settled into their play and David Silva forced a good save from Bogush as the 30 minute mark approached.
It was the Ukranian team who took the lead with just 10 minutes left in the half though after Artem Kravets bustled his way into the box and poked under Cesar in the Valencia goal. The goal threw the tie wide open and to try and spark a reply before half-time, Unai Emery changed to a 4-2-4.
Whilst Kiev almost grabbed a goal on the break the move did work for Valencia and with just a minute left in the half they were level, as Marchena headed home a free-kick from Fernandes.
It was the perfect way for the home side to go into the break and they came out firing after the interval too as Del Horno gave them the lead just 10 minutes after the restart. Yet again the goal came from a set-piece as a free kick was whipped in, hit a Kiev player and defender Del Horno was there to pounce and knock it into the net.
The goal meant the onus was on the away team to score and they looked comfortable passing it around in midfield, but couldn't seem to find the final ball. At the other end David Villa looked a threat and very nearly broke the offside trap, only to be called back by the linesman's flag.
With 15 minutes left disaster struck for Emery as Dynamo finally got their second goal and put themselves in the driving seat. The cause was very much the fact that Valencia were pushing for a third and it cost them, as the away team broke with pace; Correa sliding a brilliant ball through the defence, and Kravets chipping over Cesar.
After conceding the own goal in the first-leg it seemed to be Raul Albiol who was at fault again for this goal, as he lost the ball high up the pitch in the build-up. Needing to score again, Valencia began to push forward in numbers as the clock wore down and Ruben Baraja very nearly got on the end of a cross from Joaquin, but couldn't connect with it.
Aside from the occasional lapse, Kiev looked comfortable in defence and they disrupted the Valencia play well, with Kravets tackling back more than once to earn his side a deserved draw at the Mestalla.
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