It was not that usual of a day in the office for Barcelona as the Catalans travelled to Valencia to face Levante Union Deportiva at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, in Match Week 2 of the prestigious La Liga. Levante had the game to trouble the Champions, but no one had expected that the hosts would put themselves in a winning position against the mighty visitors.
Barcelona were usual with their play. Dominating possession with their skill and unmatched speed, and though they tried to shoot, the goals eluded them. But Levante, against the run of play, scored on a quick counterattack with Ivan Romero netting in the 15th minute, to give Levante the lead.
Barca kept on piling the pressure and virtually laid siege on the Levante goal, but missed scoring opportunities. But Levante, once again, against the run of play, scored at the stroke of half-time through a Morales penalty. At the break, Levante were 2-0 ahead, and Barcelona, after trying everything and hitting the bar a few times, had drawn a blank.
The quality of Barcelona is such that a goal was just around the corner, and Pedri obliged for the Catalans, just after the break in the 49th minute. Ferran Torres then equalised in the 52nd minute to bring the match on an even keel.
Barcelona continued to completely dominate the game. The ball very rarely touched the boot of a Levante player. The pressure was so immense from the Catalans that, eventually, a long cross from Lamine Yamal resulted in an own goal. The cross took a deflection from Elgezabal and entered the Levante net. Barcelona had pulled off a heist, right at the end.
The Champions eventually secured 3 points and their second successive win. They were all over Levante throughout the match, as the Catalans held a staggering 82% possession and had 26 shots on goal. However, Levante still deserved a draw.
An unusual match for the usual winners.
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