Dmitrovic saves Espanyol against Levante in a tension-filled 0-0 draw

Espanyol arrived at the match trapped in a worrying dynamic: winless in 2026 and forced to earn points to not complicate their fight for survival even more. Manolo González recovered Urko González de Zárate and opted for a starting eleven with Kike García as reference, Ngonge and Pere Milla on the wings, and Edu Expósito in the engine room. Levante, second to last before starting, landed in Cornellà with salvation within reach, boosted by their recent good results, although without Iván Romero or Kareem Tunde.

First half

The game began with an exchange of warnings. Kike García quickly tested Matthew Ryan, but the first really clear chance was from the visitors: Víctor García attacked the space, received from Paco Cortés , and forced Dmitrovic to make a decisive save when Levante were already imagining the 0-1. That scare woke up Espanyol, who gained ground starting from pressure and attacks from the outside.

Ngonge came close to scoring with a shot that Ryan diverted near the top corner, Urko tried from outside the box, and Kike García appeared again in the area with a header that was too central. The white-and-blue team accumulated more offensive presence, but without the clarity necessary to translate their dominance into an advantage. Levante, more uncomfortable with the ball, resisted in an orderly manner and managed to bring the match to halftime with the initial 0-0. 

Second half

After the break, Levante came out with more energy and sought to grow from the flanks and set pieces. Espanyol responded with one of their best moves: Dmitrovic launched a long ball, Pere Milla controlled it skillfully inside the box, but his shot lost power and Ryan was able to intervene. Shortly after, Edu Expósito hit the post with a shot from outside, another arrival that reflected the Perico problem of the entire night: getting close without finishing the job.

The benches influenced the game. Roberto Fernández and Dolan came on for Espanyol; Arriaga, Losada, Carlos Álvarez, and Etta Eyong for Levante. As minutes passed, the match got messy, cards appeared, and fear weighed more than football. Roberto had a clear chance in the 76th minute but sent his shot over, and the match headed toward a nerve-wracking finish.

The sequence that marked the outcome came with Pol Lozano: he came on in the 84th minute and saw two yellow cards almost consecutively, leaving Espanyol with ten men in the decisive stage. Levante smelled blood. From the subsequent free-kick came a very clear chance for Etta Eyong, but Dmitrovic stood tall again to keep his team alive. Roberto responded with a header that narrowly went wide and, in the final shock of the game, Carlos Álvarez smashed a right-footed shot against the crossbar after an intervention from the Serbian goalkeeper. The 0-0 left Espanyol with a point insufficient to fully ease the anguish and Levante with the feeling they had victory in their hands.

Match details

Result: RCD Espanyol 0-0 Levante UD.

Competition: LaLiga EA Sports 2025/2026, matchday 32.

Stadium: RCDE Stadium, Cornellà de Llobregat. Attendance: 25,526 spectators. 

Referee: Mateo Busquets Ferrer. VAR: Figueroa Vázquez. 

Espanyol: Dmitrovic; Omar El Hilali, Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Romero; Urko González de Zárate, Ramón Terrats, Edu Expósito; Pere Milla, Cyril Ngonge, and Kike García. Also played Roberto Fernández, Tyrhys Dolan, Antoniu Roca, Pol Lozano, and Charles Pickel.

Levante: Matthew Ryan; Jeremy Toljan, Adrián de la Fuente, Matías Moreno, Manu Sánchez; Ugo Raghouber, Jon Olasagasti, Pablo Martínez, Víctor García, Paco Cortés; and Carlos Espí. Also played Kervin Arriaga, Iker Losada, Carlos Álvarez, Karl Etta Eyong, and Tai Abed. 

Cards: Yellows for Edu Expósito and Pol Lozano, for Espanyol; and for Pablo Martínez, Matías Moreno, and Etta Eyong, for Levante. Sent off: Pol Lozano, for a second yellow card, in the 87th minute.