Lamine sets the pace and Adeyemi seals a 2-4. Best players Comunio / Sofascore.

Levante U. D.

Hansi Flick's team arrived in Valencia as LaLiga's leaders with a perfect record of wins, after thrashing Valencia in the previous round. Levante faced the match from a much more demanding position in the standings, although they had shown they could cause damage at home.

First half

It took Barcelona just five minutes to tilt the game. Xavi Espart appeared from behind and fired a shot from outside the box to make it 0-1 after an action involving Raphinha. The goal strengthened the visitors' plan: patient circulation, plenty of men ahead of the ball, and immediate pressure every time Levante tried to play their way out.

The granotas found some openings when they were able to play more directly. Petar Ratkov saw a finish blocked and Brugué forced a save from Joan García, but they were isolated moments in a spell clearly controlled by Barcelona. And in the 19th minute, the second arrived. The move started from behind, went through Cubarsí and Fermín, and ended with Raphinha creating the advantage for Lamine Yamal to push it to 0-2.

With a two-goal cushion, the blaugrana managed the ball better and forced Levante to chase for far too many minutes. The hosts tried to toughen up the duels and speed things up when they regained possession, but they struggled to string together spells close to Joan García's area. The break came with a 0-2 that reflected both the visitors' efficiency and their superiority with the ball.

Second half

The picture grew even darker for Levante as soon as the ball started rolling again. In the 47th minute, Aïssa Mandi committed a penalty on Lamine Yamal and the winger himself took the spot-kick. Ryan guessed the intention and was close to stopping it, but the ball went in: 0-3 in the 48th minute and a brace for the blaugrana forward.

Levante looked for a response from the bench and found it. Oriol Rey, Bardeli and Iván Romero came on, and the latter changed the team's attacking threat from his first involvement. He had a very clear chance as soon as he entered and soon after forced Joan García again. Barcelona still had territorial control, but they no longer found the same comfort to see the game out.

Hansi Flick also made changes with Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal and Karim Adeyemi, but the 0-3 ended up turning into a much less comfortable advantage than expected. In the 80th minute, an error by Xavi Espart in his own half left Iván Romero with the chance to pull one back. The striker did not miss and made it 1-3.

The scare became much more serious in the 88th minute. Another blaugrana loss allowed Levante to accelerate and Brugué found the 2-3, a goal that completely changed the mood of the closing stages. The Barcelona side, which had controlled the match for much of the afternoon, suddenly had to defend a slender lead.

The threat of a comeback did not last long. In stoppage time, Karim Adeyemi received with space, attacked with power and finished with his right to set the 2-4 in the 90+3rd minute. It was the perfect finish for a substitute who shook up the game and prevented the final moments from turning into a granota siege.

Top performers Comunio / Sofascore

24

Iván Romero
3.060.000€13

J5

4

J4

2

J3

1

J2

4

J1

DL

01

For Levante, the standout name was Iván Romero. He came on from the bench and finished with 13 Comunio points and an 8.0 rating on Sofascore. His impact was immediate: he created danger and ended up finding the goal that brought life back into the match. A particularly valuable fantasy performance because it took him just half an hour to become Levante's best-scoring player.

Roger Brugué also came away boosted, reaching 9 Comunio points and a 7.1 on Sofascore. It was one of the local threats and he ended up scoring the 2-3 that put Barcelona in trouble. Behind him, Aïssa Mandi added 5 points with a 6.9.

On the negative side, Mathew Ryan and Jeremy Toljan both finished the day with -1 Comunio point each and a 5.7 rating on Sofascore. These are the lowest marks for the Levante side and leave a not-very-profitable match for their managers.

64

Lamine Yamal
24.690.000€+1.610.000€16

J5

17

J4

19

J3

4

J2

8

J1

DL

06

For Barcelona, Lamine Yamal once again made the difference on the pitch and in fantasy: 16 Comunio points and an 8.4 on Sofascore. His two goals, including the penalty right at the start of the second half, justify a score that clearly places him as the match's most decisive player.

Very close in impact was Karim Adeyemi, who came off the bench to earn 12 Comunio points and a 7.8 on Sofascore. His goal in stoppage time turned a good appearance into a hugely profitable fantasy performance. Xavi Espart also reached 11 points and a 7.2: he opened the scoring and had plenty of presence, although his mistake in the build-up to the 1-3 tainted an afternoon that had been notable up to then.

Other standout figures were Rodri Hernández, with 9 points and 7.8, Raphinha, with 9 points and 7.4, and Pau Cubarsí, with 8 points and 7.5. Barcelona again spread strong returns across several lines, a promising sign for managers looking for alternatives beyond their pricier attackers.

Match facts

Result: Levante UD 2-4 FC Barcelona.

Goals: 0-1, Xavi Espart (5'); 0-2, Lamine Yamal (19'); 0-3, Lamine Yamal (48', penalty); 1-3, Iván Romero (80'); 2-3, Roger Brugué (88'); 2-4, Karim Adeyemi (90+3').

Stadium: Ciutat de València.

Referee: Jon Ander González Esteban.

Levante UD: Ryan; Toljan, Adrián de la Fuente, Aïssa Mandi, Manu Sánchez; Requena, Hugo Sotelo, Jon Olasagasti; Víctor García, Roger Brugué and Petar Ratkov.

FC Barcelona: Joan García; Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Xavi Espart; Rodri Hernández, Pedri, Fermín López; Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon and Raphinha.