Yamal at the Double as Barcelona Weather Late Levante Storm in 4-2 Thriller
NEWSOTHER NEWSSPORT
9/13/20262 min read
Estadio Ciudad de Valencia — FC Barcelona continued their blistering early-season form in La Liga, fending off a spirited late resurgence from Levante UD to claim an exhilarating 4-2 victory on Sunday afternoon.
A brace from star winger Lamine Yamal and an early strike by academy talent Xavi Espart put the Blaugrana firmly in the driving seat, before a dramatic late rally by the hosts forced Karim Adeyemi to produce a stoppage-time dagger to wrap up the three points.
Fast Start Silences the Ciudad de Valencia
Barcelona wasted no time stamping their authority on the contest. Just four minutes into the match, midfielder Xavi Espart found space inside the area and drove a composed finish past Mathew Ryan to open the scoring.
Levante struggled to handle Barcelona’s fluidity between the lines, anchored by Pedri and Rodri controlling the tempo in midfield. In the 18th minute, the pressure paid off again: Lamine Yamal danced past his marker down the right flank, cut inward onto his trademark left foot, and slotted a crisp effort into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
Levante showed flashes on the counter and thought they had earned a lifeline on the half-hour mark when the referee initially pointed to the penalty spot. However, a lengthy VAR review overturned the call, judging that the Barcelona backline had made clean contact with the ball.
Yamal Doubles Up Before Levante Spark Late Chaos
Barcelona picked up right where they left off straight after the interval. Two minutes into the second half, Barcelona were awarded a penalty following a clumsy challenge in the Levante box. Yamal stepped up to the spot and calmly dispatched his second of the match into the corner, stretching the visitors' advantage to 3-0.
With a seemingly insurmountable lead, Hansi Flick rotated his squad midway through the second half, bringing on Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, and Karim Adeyemi to give key starters a rest.
Levante, however, refused to surrender quietly. Energized by second-half substitutions, Julian Calero's side ramped up the pressure:
78th Minute: Substitute forward Iván Romero pounced on a loose clearance inside the Barcelona penalty area, rifling the ball past Joan García to give the home fans hope at 3-1.
87th Minute: Levante’s talismanic midfielder Roger Brugué met an inswinging cross with a clinical finish to cut the deficit to just one goal, sending the Ciudad de Valencia into pandemonium at 3-2.
Adeyemi Delivers the Final Blow
With Levante committing numbers forward during six frantic minutes of stoppage time, Barcelona capitalized on the counterattack. In the 91st minute, Adeyemi burst onto a through-ball into open space, outpaced the trailing defenders, and coolly slotted past Ryan to extinguish any hopes of an equalizer.
Match Summary
Metric / Event Levante UD FC Barcelona
Final Score 2 4
Goals Iván Romero (78'), Roger Brugué (87') Xavi Espart (4'), Lamine Yamal (18', 47' pen), Karim
Adeyemi (90+1')
Yellow Cards Hugo Sotelo (45+5') Gerard Martín (45+1')
Competition La Liga (Matchday 5) La Liga (Matchday 5)
Venue Estadio Ciudad de Valencia Estadio Ciudad de Valencia
What’s Next
Barcelona maintain their strong start to the domestic campaign with this hard-fought away win, carrying confidence ahead of their midweek European commitments. Levante, despite the loss, can take significant positives from their second-half fightback against the title favorites.