He FC Barcelona He had to use himself thoroughly to move forward that was complicated more than expected against a Levant That, far from intimidating before the current first champion, he showed personality and stuck. The 2-0 with which the premises left to rest seemed to direct the surprise of the day, but the culé reaction in the second half ended up tilting the balance.
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The duel began with an electrifying atmosphere in a ciutat of València full. The Levantinists, led by an inspired José Luis Morales, bet on a direct plan: rapid transitions and pressure on the Blaugrana defense. The strategy resulted in the 15th, when Iván Romero He opened the scoring after a play built by Manu Sánchez and prolonged by Morales. The stadium exploded with joy.
The blow left Barça, who tried with medium distance shots and side centers. Ferran Torres was close to matching the crossbar, but goalkeeper Pablo Campos was safe and broke each approach. When it seemed that the break came with a disadvantage goal, a bucket hand in his own area was sanctioned with a penalty after review of the VAR. Moraleswith cold blood, he put the 2-0 in the last sigh of the first half.
The comeback culé
The beginning of the second part brought with it a radical change. Hansi Flick moved the bench and the entrance of Gavi and Dani Olmo gave another rhythm to the team. A few minutes later, Pedri He cut distances with a precise shot from outside the area that surprised Campos. Just three minutes later, Ferran Torres He signed the tie after a corner kick executed by Raphinha.
With the equalized marker, Barcelona completely took over the ball and Levante began to accuse wear. Even so, goalkeeper Campos erected in a local hero with several merit interventions that kept the dream of the tie alive. The granota set, despite the changes of Julián Calero, no longer had the same energy to run against.
The Levantinist resistance, however, collapsed in the added time. In the 91st minute, a Lamine Yamal center found the misfortune of Unai elgezabal, that when trying to clear he ended up sending the ball to his own goal. The 2-3 unleashed the visiting euphoria and sealed the first epic removal of Barcelona in the season.
The league champion took the three points and, beyond the result, made it clear that he has resources to survive even in the most adverse scenarios. The Levante, on the other hand, left with the bitter feeling of having touched a historical feat that escaped in recent seconds.
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