"This win leaves a particularly sweet taste in the mouth", this line, often uttered in footballing circles to convey the sheer joy brought about by a crucial victory, could perfectly well sum up the emotions felt by the two big winners in the latest round of LaLiga Santander action. On the one hand, we have Valencia CF, who brushed Villarreal CF aside in a 3-0 triumph in the sides' regional derby at a packed Mestalla to edge closer to the European spots following a rather shaky start to the campaign. Meanwhile, the other major winners were the LaLiga Santander Experience influencers and journalists who descended on the Valencian capital in search of lifelong memories.
Representing Eleven Sports Portugal was comedian and influencer Diogo Bataguas, who was joined by Record journalist Daniel Filipe, whilst Norwegian reporter Magnar Kvalvik and Oslo-based journalist and influencer Jonas Giaever took their places in Valencia courtesy of Scandinavian broadcaster Strive to savour a whole range of activities and a big dose of football.
Valencia Women's Dutch defender Mandy van den Berg and Diogo pitted their wits against each other to see who could name the most LaLiga teams in the space of 30 seconds, before facing off in a penalty shootout in which determining the winner was far from being the priority.
However, this wasn't where the LaLiga Santander Experience challenges ended. Amongst the other missions that Spanish football nuts Diogo and Jonas were tasked with were games that involved guessing the identity of the hidden Valencia player, spotting the seven differences between two photos of Dani Parejo and showcasing their knowledge of Los Che's history in a true or false quiz, before taking to the kitchen for a Valencian paella bake-off.
Last but not least, the time had come to lap up some of the best football on the planet. All of the LaLiga Santander Experience visitors got the chance to visit the club's museum and interview Ruben Vezo and Daniel Wass. The trip's crowning moment came when the visitors set foot in the oldest stadium in the league to soak up the very best of the atmosphere generated by the Mestalla faithful on a matchday.
Sometimes we experience thrilling moments in life that even beat the great buzz we get when our team emerges victorious and claims maximum points. However, if one thing sets the memories served up by the LaLiga Santander Experience apart it's that they last a lifetime.
Source: laligaes.es