Do not let the 2-4 scoreline deceive you, nor the 0-2 lead that Barcelona established inside the opening 19 minutes. While the league leaders certainly merited all three points, the 'Granotas' Levante made them fight for every bit of it and deserved recognition for their performance. Xavi Espart opened his scoring account after just five minutes, latching onto a Raphinha delivery to squeeze a low drive from the edge of the box inside Ryan's right-hand upright. The goalkeeper was equally helpless for 0-2 as Lamine Yamal finished off another pinpoint cut-back from Raphinha on the left. After the break, a penalty committed by Mandi on Yamal allowed the young '10' to step up and bury a clinical finish to put the match to bed. Or so it seemed.

Ivan Romero pounced on a defensive gift from Espart in the 79th minute, skipping past Joan Garcia to pull one back. The deficit was slashed to the bare minimum in the 88th minute when Brugue beat the Blaugrana goalkeeper at the second attempt to make it 2-3. The Ciutat de Valencia erupted as supporters dared to dream of an improbable comeback, yet the home crowd were equally gracious in defeat, warmly applauding both sides after Adeyemi struck in stoppage time to seal the result.

FC Barcelona: an emotional rollercoaster. The leaders looked as ruthless as ever early on, yet exhibited alarming defensive frailties during the latter stages of the contest. Xavi Espart experienced both extremes, opening his senior account before committing several defensive errors, one of which effectively handed Ivan Romero Levante's first goal. Lamine Yamal took centre stage to bag another brace, while Raphinha had to settle for a pair of assists.

Levante: undeniably deserved their two goals. Falling behind so early might have broken lesser sides, but Luis Castro's men refused to surrender. They pushed the league leaders right to the wire in a frantic finale and rightly collected an ovation from the stands despite Adeyemi sealing the 2-4 win. Castro's second-half substitutions revitalised the hosts after he initially rested several regulars, with Ivan Romero in particular proving a constant menace.

Match stats for Levante vs Barcelona in La Liga, Matchday 4, 13 September 2026. BeSoccer

Iván Romero

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