Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season with a hard-fought 4-2 La Liga victory over Levante in Valencia on Sunday. Lamine Yamal scored twice, while Xavi Espart and Karim Adeyemi were also on target. The win keeps Barcelona alone at the top of the table with five wins from five, three points ahead of Real Madrid.
Barcelona took the lead after five minutes when a slick one-touch move ended with 19-year-old Espart firing home from the edge of the box via a slight deflection for his first senior goal. The visitors continued to dominate possession and doubled their advantage in the 19th minute. Raphinha controlled Fermin Lopez’s through ball expertly and picked out an unmarked Yamal in the centre of the box for an easy finish.
Levante rallied after their early struggles, applying pressure of their own, and despite failing to create a clear opening, ended the half with six attempts to Barcelona’s three. Gerard Martin, who appeared to be limping, was withdrawn by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick at half-time and replaced by Andreas Christensen.
Barcelona struck when Aissa Mandi conceded a penalty for a foul on Yamal 42 seconds after the restart. The winger converted the spot kick to complete his third double of the La Liga season and puncture Levante’s growing belief. Levante came close on the hour when Victor Garcia beat goalkeeper Joan Garcia, but a partial block by Pau Cubarsi and Christensen’s goal-line clearance kept his effort out.
An errant pass from Espart in the 79th minute allowed Levante to pull one back, with forward Ivan Romero rounding Joan Garcia before passing the ball into the net. Nine minutes later, Roger Brugue burst through multiple Barcelona challenges to reduce the deficit to one goal, threatening to turn a comfortable win into a heroic comeback. Yet Adeyemi’s mazy run and smart finish in the 93rd minute ended the hosts’ hopes of a draw. The home crowd nevertheless showed their appreciation, chanting “Levante” as the German celebrated.
Despite their late wobble, Barcelona secured a sixth successive win in all competitions, with Rodri’s assured midfield display and captain Raphinha’s relentless running central to their success. Atletico Madrid scored three late goals to beat Real Sociedad 3-0, as new signings Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David scored their first goals for the club. Grimaldo netted an 84th-minute penalty, David doubled the lead six minutes later, and Giuliano Simeone added a third in the 95th minute. Atletico returned to winning ways after two consecutive losses, but were without key players Julian Alvarez and Pablo Barrios due to muscle injuries. Malaga rescued a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo, while Deportivo A Coruna also drew 1-1 with Getafe after going behind in the second half.
Source: www.aljazeera.com