Barcelona with sixth consecutive win securing its top position in the table. The Spanish champion took home another victory after beating Levante 4-2 in their away league game. The goals for the away team were scored by young defender Xavi Espart after five minutes, Lamine Yamal who hit the target twice including a penalty, and Karim Adeyemi who came off the bench late on. Levante tried to fight back near the end of the game with goals from substitute Ivan Romero and team leader Roger Brugue, but it was not enough. Barcelona now hold five consecutive wins against this club.
Head coach Hansi Flick decided to rest several regular starters after their big 5-1 European victory against Feyenoord earlier in the week. He introduced five fresh faces, changing nearly the entire defensive line by giving starting spots to Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin, and teenager Espart instead of Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, and Joao Cancelo. In the middle of the field, Fermin Lopez took the spot normally held by Dani Olmo. In the forward line, Anthony Gordon ran alongside Yamal and captain Raphinha while Adeyemi waited on the bench. Levante played an open setup with three attackers, giving an opening start to center forward Petar Ratkov.
Before kickoff, the home club gave special awards to all the Spanish players who had won international trophies, and the local supporters clapped for them. The game started fast, and Barcelona scored on their first real try when Espart took a pass from Raphinha and hit a shot that bounced off a defender and into the goal. It was the very first senior goal for the young full-back. Soon after, Levante defender Adrian de la Fuente struck a free kick straight into keeper Joan Garcia, while Mathew Ryan stopped a low Yamal effort at the other end.
Barcelona doubled their lead midway through the half when Lopez hit a long pass to Raphinha, who slipped the ball across the box for Yamal to tap easily into an open net. Levante fought back with rough challenges, including a hit to Martin’s face that went without a card, and they also asked for a penalty that was not given due to an offside call. Before the break, Levante created three decent chances through Olasagasti, Victor Garcia, and Requena, but none of them could put the ball into the net.
At the break, Christensen had to come on for Martin because of a facial injury. Barcelona got an immediate boost seconds after the restart when Yamal won a penalty after being kicked down inside the area. The young attacker took the kick himself, calmly scoring his second goal of the day to continue an amazing run of form. Raphinha almost added another goal ten minutes later, but his ground shot slid just wide of the post.
Levante did not give up and kept pushing forward. Christensen blocked a clean shot from Romero, and keeper Joan Garcia made another solid stop to keep the home side quiet. Ryan kept Levante alive by saving shots from Raphinha and Adeyemi. However, a loose pass from Espart inside his own box let Romero jump in, beat the goalkeeper to the ball, and roll it in to cut down the lead.
The home team made things tense late in the match when Brugue ran straight past Bernal and Cubarsi, drove into the penalty area, and scored on a rebound after his first shot was pushed out. Levante pressed for an equalizer, but in stoppage time, Adeyemi showed great speed on a solo run and buried a clean shot inside the near post to lock up the 4-2 win.
Barcelona stay at the top of the league table with a perfect record of 15 points from five matches, sitting three points clear of their rivals Real Madrid, while Levante remain in thirteenth place with five points earned so far.
This high-scoring clash highlights the aggressive, high-risk tactical identity Hansi Flick has introduced since taking over Barcelona’s dugout. By pushing full-backs high and committing numbers forward, Barcelona consistently generate high-quality scoring chances, as evidenced by Yamal’s electric start to the domestic campaign. However, the concession of two late goals against Levante underlines recurring vulnerabilities in defensive transition, especially when Flick heavily rotates the backline to balance domestic and continental competitions.
For Levante, the performance provides clear positives despite the loss. Demonstrating resilience to pull two goals back against the reigning champions shows an attacking cohesion that should serve them well in their bid to secure mid-table safety. Their pressing in the final twenty minutes exposed gaps behind Barcelona’s midfield, creating a clear blueprint for future opponents looking to disrupt the league leaders’ possession game.
