Valdés sparkles with clean sheet

There are times when Victor Valdés has arguably the most difficult job in all of football. The Barcelona netminder is often reduced to watching for minutes on end while his teammates relentlessly attack an opponent's goal. Then, in the blink of an eye, his concentration must be sharp when called upon to make a big save. It is no easy task and it has led to some embarrassing errors in the past, but not on Sunday night in Barcelona's 0-4 win at Levante.
Valdés was sharp from the beginning and did very well to save a thumping shot from Barkero in the 13th minute. His work continued throughout the first half as the hosts were able to penetrate the Barcelona area and kept Valdés on his toes.
Even with Barcelona bagging four goals in a span of 16 minutes in the early stages of the second stanza, Valdés still had to remain alert, especially when he saw Barkero's volley rocket past him before sailing wide by inches in the 50th minute. Fifteen minutes later, again it was Valdés keeping Levante off the scoresheet, this time saving a well-taken shot by Martins.
But the visiting goalkeeper's finest hour came with just minutes left and Barcelona holding a comfortable advantage. A dubious penalty called in favor of Levante sent Barkero to the spot in the 87th minute. The former Numancia man's penalty did little to fool Valdés who blocked it and then stopped a subsequent rebounded effort by Ángel.
If there was ever a clean sheet Valdés could be proud of, one could say Sunday's versus Levante had more sparkle than the others.