Lamine Yamal was the star of the show as FC Barcelona destroyed Levante to pull clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga away at the Ciutat de València. The Catalan club are three points clear of Real Madrid and five points clear of third-placed Alavés, and continued their perfect start to the season.
The match got off to a flying start as Barcelona were two goals ahead within 19 minutes. Lamine Yamal added a third in the 48th minute. Still, Levante threatened to disrupt Barca’s perfect start to the season with a second-half blitz before Karim Adeyemi put the game beyond doubt in the additional minutes of stoppage time.
Barcelona’s Attacking Masterclass
FC Barcelona started the match on the front foot, and they scored the opening goal with less than three minutes on the clock. The Catalan club picked Levante apart and dismantled them piece by piece before Xavi Espart picked up the ball from Raphinha’s deft flick-on, cut in on to his right foot and fired the ball into the net calmly. A well-taken goal, well-taken.
16 minutes later, Barcelona turned defence to attack in the blink of an eye, and Fermin Lopez sent Raphinha flying goalwards. The latter found himself face to face with the goalkeeper and skipped past him before cutting the ball across the face of goal for Yamal to slam it into an empty net.
Barca were given a scare shortly after as Levante were awarded a penalty, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened and cancelled the penalty just past the half-hour mark. The visitors took a comfortable two-nil lead into the break.
Barcelona started the second half the same way they started the first, and things went from bad to worse for Levante as Lamine Yamal was brought down in the 18-yard area and the referee pointed to the spot. Yamal stepped up and ferociously hammered the ball into the net. The goalkeeper dived in the right direction but was helpless against the venomous shot. The goal was his sixth league goal this season, and he sits joint with Kylian Mbappe, Sergio Camello and Raphinha atop La Liga’s goalscoring charts.
The Comeback
As things were progressing well for Barcelona, they relaxed their intensity and were caught in possession, allowing Levante to crawl back into the game.
Xavi Espart misshit his pass, and Andreas Christensen could only watch helplessly as Ivan Romero picked it up, rounded Joan Garcia up and slotted it into the empty net. Levante were not done just yet and pulled another goal back two minutes before the end of normal time. Roger Brugue bamboozled his way round Barca’s defence in a dazzling solo run before seeing his shot saved by Garcia. He gathered the rebound and bundled it over the line.
Close but not enough
Karim Adeyemi put the game beyond doubt in the second minute of added time and quelled any hopes of a Levante comeback. Adeyemi received a pass from Marc Bernal near the halfway line, skipped past one challenge, sprinted goalwards at breakneck speed, evading multiple opposition players skillfully before smashing the ball past Matthew Ryan into the net emphatically. A magnificent solo goal! A well-timed occasion to score his second La Liga goal this season, restoring Barcelona’s two-goal lead and putting the three points beyond doubt.
Same old story
Barcelona’s leaky defence under Hansi Flick has been found wanting repeatedly and has left fans frustrated on many occasions. The Catalans had taken a three-nil lead against Levante and were cruising in the skies before their poor defence dragged them back to earth. Within minutes, the hosts had pulled two goals back, and an unlikely comeback seemed on the cards. Thankfully, Adeyemi intervened and sealed the three points. They need to sort their defensive issues before it costs them on the biggest European nights.
La Masia Supremacy
Barcelona scored 4 goals today, and three of the goals came from La Masia academy graduates, Lamine Yamal and Xavi Espart. The world is still getting used to the otherworldly brilliance of Yamal, and the academy is still churning out talents with massive potential, further reinforcing its status as one of the best football academies in Europe. Barcelona will turn their attention to their next league match against Racing Santander on Wednesday.
