Kempes 'matador' spirit inspiring resurgent Valencia
MADRID (Reuters) - Valencia's stirring 3-1 success at home to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid on Saturday was full of the fighting spirit embodied in their ailing former forward Mario Kempes.
Known as 'El Matador' during his glittering playing career, Argentine Kempes is recovering from major heart surgery and the Valencia fans paid homage to the man who wore the number 10 shirt for the club with an ovation in the 10th minute of the match at the Mestalla.
If Kempes was watching the game from his sick bed, the 60-year-old would have seen the current crop of Valencia players displaying the same intensity and controlled aggression he personified as they raced into a 3-0 lead by the 13th minute.
"Valencia rediscover their 'Matador spirit' against the champions," read the headline in local newspaper Las Provincias.
The victory strengthened the club's grip on second place, two points behind leaders Barcelona after seven games and three ahead of Atletico in third.
It also appeared to confirm that Valencia, in the process of being taken over by Singapore billionaire Peter Lim, are starting to put years of financial struggles behind them and may be genuine challengers this term for the Spanish league title they last won in 2004.
Kempes was twice La Liga top scorer during his time with Valencia between 1976 and 1981 and was one of only two men playing outside Argentina to be selected for the 1978 World Cup on home soil.
He scored two of his side's goals in their 3-1 win against Netherlands in the final, taking his tally for the tournament to six.
For all the euphoria over Saturday's victory, Valencia's new Portuguese coach Nuno cautioned that it had only yielded three points in a long season. However, he said he was optimistic his side would improve further.
"The important thing is to get a good run going," Nuno told a news conference.
"Our character is to go out to win and today we did that against a great team," added the former Deportivo La Coruna and Porto goalkeeper.
After the international break, Valencia's next La Liga outing is at Deportivo on Oct. 19.
(Reporting by Iain Rogers; Editing by John O'Brien)
