Chronicle of Levante UD 2-0 Deportivo Alavés

FIRST HALF

From the opening whistle, Alavés took control of the ball, imposing a slower but steady pace and accumulating more dangerous approaches to Levante’s goal. Possession was clearly in favor of the team from Vitoria, who constantly sought to thread passes between the lines. But the most outstanding moment came around the 27th minute, when Toni Martínez tried from outside the box after a good passing combination and his shot was stopped low to the ground by the opposing goalkeeper.

Throughout the first half, Alavés was superior in shots and entries into the area, forcing the defense and Ryan to stay very alert to clear crosses and foil dangerous attempts. Meanwhile, Levante barely managed to trouble the opposing goal, with few offensive transitions and lots of defensive work to contain the visitors' attacks. Despite some attempts by the home side, there was a lack of clarity and depth to generate clear goal-scoring chances.

SECOND HALF

The second half started better for Levante. In the 47th minute, a good play down the left by Carlos Álvarez led to a powerful shot to the near post by Sivera, but it hit the post. The minutes kept going by and the home team kept pressing the team from Vitoria, but despite coming out with more desire, dangerous plays were conspicuously absent.

But the game completely changed from the next play, a dangerous opportunity from the right wing by Tunde ignited sparks, because the fullback of Coudet’s team, Víctor Parada, committed a mistimed foul that cost him a second yellow card and therefore left his team with 10 players. Because of that red card, the home side pressed even harder. A "gift" from Toljan into the box made it easier for Carlos Espí to execute an acrobatic finish, but Sivera made a great save and kept his team alive.

And after so much insistence, Levante got their reward. The hero was Carlos Espí. The forward found the ball in the area and the youth academy player placed it on his strong foot and with a bit of luck, put the ball in the top corner to make it 1-0. To top off the joy, the youth academy player found the net again. The striker finished perfectly after finding himself one-on-one with Sivera and the youngster did not miss the chance, making it 2-0.

With this victory, Levante keeps hope alive to escape relegation. On the other hand, Alavés could drop quite a few places and will have to fight next matchday to avoid getting into more trouble. 

BEST PLAYERS OF THE MATCH

55

Carlos Espí
1.940.000€    -

J1

DL

03

Thanks to his two goals, the team secured the victory. 

163

Ryan
3.070.000€+10.000€    -

J1

PT

15

Thanks to his interventions in the first half, the team stayed alive and could enter the second half with more motivation.

113

Adrián de la Fuente
3.360.000€+30.000€    -

J1

DF

12

This man’s experience really shows. Once again, he was deeply involved in the match and every cross put in by Alavés, the captain cleared very effectively and was the leader of the home defense throughout the entire game.