FC Barcelona continue their flawless run in Liga, but this fifth win was anything but a walk in the park. Dominant for long spells, Barça allowed Levante to come back from 0-3 to 2-3 before Karim Adeyemi rescued the Catalans in stoppage time.
Yamal decisive again
Barcelona started strongly. Xavi Espart opened the scoring in the 5th minute, before Lamine Yamal doubled the lead in the 19th on a pass from Raphinha.
Just after the break, Yamal won a penalty and converted it himself in the 48th minute. Barça then led 3-0 and seemed to have done the hard part.
Levante refuse to give up
The script flipped in the final quarter of an hour. Iván Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute, then Roger Brugué brought Levante to 2-3 in the 88th. The Catalan defence, already troubled in transitions, wobbled.
Flick had, however, already started managing his key players: Yamal and Pedri came off in the 66th minute, while Adeyemi came on for Gordon.
Adeyemi rescues Barça
Just as Levante believed they could snatch a point, Adeyemi scored in the 93rd minute on a pass from Marc Bernal.
Barcelona thus keep their perfect record with five wins in five matchdays, but this game is a reminder that defensive lapses can prove costly. Barça remain leaders, Yamal continues to impress, but Levante exposed a weakness that upcoming big fixtures could exploit.
Starting lineups
Levante: Mathew Ryan — Nacho Pérez, De la Fuente, Manu Sánchez, Toljan — Olasagasti, Sotelo, Bardeli, Brugué — Romero, Thiago Fernández.
Barcelona: Joan García — Gerard Martín, Cubarsí, Xavi Espart, Eric García — Rodri, Pedri, Fermín — Raphinha, Gordon, Lamine Yamal.
Substitutions
Barcelona
- 45': Christensen replaces Gerard Martín
- 66': Olmo and Bernal replace Yamal and Pedri
- 67': Adeyemi replaces Gordon
- 80': Cancelo replaces Espart
Levante
- 59': Bardeli replaces Olasagasti
- 60': Oriol Rey and Iván Romero come on
- 71': Nacho Pérez and Ndukwe come on
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