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Barcelona survived a nervy late fightback from Levante to claim a 4-2 victory away from home, extending their perfect start to the La Liga season to five wins from five matches
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Lamine Yamal scored twice for the visitors, first finishing a Raphinha cut-back in the 19th minute before converting a second-half penalty just three minutes after the restart
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Levante fought back into the contest late on, with substitute Ivan Romero capitalising on a defensive error from Espart to pull one back in the 79th minute before Roger Brugue made it 3-2 nine minutes later
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Barcelona held their nerve in stoppage time, with substitute Karim Adeyemi restoring their two-goal cushion in the third minute of second-half added time to seal all three points
September 13, (THEWILL) – Barcelona’s perfect start to the La Liga season continued on Sunday, though not without a scare, as Hansi Flick’s side held off a late Levante fightback to win 4-2 away from home and move three points clear at the top of the table.
The visitors made a dream start at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, with teenage forward Xavi Espart opening the scoring inside five minutes after being teed up by Raphinha.
Barcelona doubled their lead in the 19th minute when Lamine Yamal got on the scoresheet himself, finishing off another Raphinha assist to put the result seemingly beyond doubt early on.
Yamal added his second, and Barcelona’s third, just three minutes into the second half, stepping up to convert confidently from the penalty spot after being brought down inside the area by Aissa Mandi.
At that stage, with a three-goal cushion in hand, Barcelona appeared to be cruising toward a fifth consecutive league win without much resistance.
Levante, however, had other ideas. As Barcelona’s concentration began to waver in the second half, the home side sensed an opportunity.
Substitute Ivan Romero capitalised on a costly mistake from Espart to pull a goal back in the 79th minute, immediately injecting fresh belief into the Levante ranks.
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The comeback gathered further momentum less than nine minutes later when Roger Brugue squeezed the ball home from a crowded penalty area, getting the better of several Barcelona defenders to make it 3-2 and set up a genuinely nervy finish.
With Levante surging forward in search of a dramatic equaliser, Barcelona were forced to dig in defensively during a chaotic closing spell.
The visitors eventually settled the contest in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, when substitute Karim Adeyemi fired past goalkeeper Matthew Ryan to restore a two-goal advantage and put the result beyond any realistic doubt.
The result means Barcelona have now won all five of their league matches so far this season, a perfect start that puts them three points clear of Real Madrid at the summit of La Liga.
Flick made several changes throughout the match in an attempt to manage the game as it unfolded, introducing Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal and Adeyemi in place of Pedri, Yamal and Anthony Gordon with just over 20 minutes remaining, changes that ultimately played a part in securing the win despite the late scare.
For Levante, the result offers little in the way of reward for a spirited second-half response, leaving them still searching for their second win of the campaign.
Barcelona, meanwhile, will have to quickly regroup defensively, having shown clear signs of fragility once their attacking momentum eased off, before returning to action against Racing Santander on Wednesday.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
