Barcelona continued their flawless start to the La Liga season with a 4-2 away win against Levante at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia. The victory keeps Hansi Flick's side top of the table with a perfect record of five wins from five, amassing 15 points and opening a three-point gap over Real Madrid.
The match narrative began with an early breakthrough. After just five minutes, 19-year-old Xavi Espart scored his first top-flight goal following a pass from Raphinha. The Brazilian was instrumental again in the 19th minute, crossing for Lamine Yamal to head home after a deep ball from Fermín López, making it 0-2. Levante pressed and created six clear chances in the first half, but goalkeeper Joan García and a key block from Pau Cubarsí preserved the lead.
Flick rings the changes
The German coach made a defensive adjustment at halftime, replacing Gerard Martín with Andreas Christensen. The second half started with a clear penalty, conceded by Aissa Mandi on Yamal just 42 seconds after the restart. The teenage winger stepped up to convert from the spot, seemingly sealing the match. Christensen proved his worth shortly after, clearing a certain goal off the line.
Despite Barcelona's control, Levante refused to surrender. Iván Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute after dribbling past the keeper, and Roger Brugué scored a second for the hosts nine minutes later, creating a tense finale. Barcelona extinguished any doubt deep into stoppage time, as Karim Adeyemi fired home in the 93rd minute following an assist from Marc Bernal for the 2-4 final score.
Coach's reaction
Hansi Flick acknowledged post-match that there is room for improvement. "There are many matches at this start. We are not at our top level," the manager explained. "It all seems very easy, but we have to fight and to survive these matches we must improve... With this result I am happy," he added, valuing the three points despite the difficult moments.
With this win, Barcelona has scored 21 goals in just five league games, averaging 4.2 per match, while conceding only four. The team extends its winning streak to six matches across all competitions, following the 5-1 Champions League victory over Feyenoord.
The squad now faces a congested schedule. The next fixture is this Wednesday, September 16th, against Racing Santander at the Spotify Camp Nou. The visitors, currently tenth in the table, will face a Barcelona side that has been ruthless at home. The team approaches these games with several key absences: Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Martín, Roony Bardghji, and Jesse Bisiwu are currently on the injuries list. The team's readiness for the upcoming match can be followed on our fixtures page.
