Paris Saint Germain came away from the away leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with a 2-1 win, but Valencia will take heart and hope from a late goal and a red card to the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Despite dominating possession and boasting an impressive rate of passing accuracy, the Spanish side were picked off with ease in the first half as PSG showed what oil money gets you in the final third with some incisive passing and clinical finishing.
Ezequiel Lavezzi gave the French side the lead after just 10 minutes when he burst into the penalty area on the right hand side and fired a blistering shot past Vicente Guaita, with questions asked of the goalkeeper's positioning and reaction speed as the ball appeared to fly straight through his hands at the near post.
The Valencia keeper didn't cover himself in glory for the second goal either, as one time Manchester United target Lucas Moura worked his way down the right hand side and cut the ball back for Javier Pastore who sent the ball straight through Guaita's legs.
Valencia made changes at half-time as Sergio Canales joined Roberto Soldado upfront and Nelson Valdez also entered the fray, but PSG continued to find it easy to soak up pressure and should've made it 3-0 after Lavezzi missed a couple of glaring chances.
The Spanish side threatened to punish PSG for their sloppy finishing as substitute Valdez forced a fine save from Salvatore Sirigu before shooting just wide.
Eventually Valencia did make their mark on the night when, DEEP INTO INJURY TIME, Adil Rami was given a free run at a Tino Costa freekick and stabbed the ball home from close range, with Sirigu less than convincing in choosing to stay rooted to his line rather than claim the cross.
There was more drama to come in the few minutes remaining as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who had endured a quiet night by his standards, was giving his marching orders for a shocking attempt at a tackle on Andres Guardado. The Swede went over the ball and appeared to rake his studs down the shin of his opponent, and will now miss the second leg and potentially more should UEFA deem the tackle worthy of additional punishment.
No doubt PSG remain in the driving seat heading into the second leg in Paris, especially with the expected return of Brazilian defender Thiago Silva, but Valencia will travel with hope of completing what would be a memorable comeback.
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