Lamine Yamal scored twice as Barcelona maintained their perfect LaLiga start with a hard-fought 4-2 win over Levante in Valencia on Sunday.
Xavi Espart and Karim Adeyemi were also on target for Barcelona. The win kept them top of the table with five victories from five games. They are three points ahead of Real Madrid.
Barcelona take control
Barcelona took the lead after just five minutes. A slick one-touch move ended with 19-year-old Espart firing home from the edge of the box. His effort took a slight deflection on its way in.
The visitors continued to control possession and doubled their lead in the 19th minute.
Raphinha controlled Fermin Lopez’s through ball before finding an unmarked Yamal in the centre of the box. The winger made no mistake from close range.
Levante then began to put Barcelona under pressure. The hosts could not create a clear chance, though. They ended the first half with six attempts to Barcelona’s three.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick made a change at half-time. Gerard Martin, who appeared to be limping, was replaced by Andreas Christensen.
Yamal struck again just 42 seconds after the restart. Aissa Mandi had conceded a penalty after fouling the winger.
Yamal converted the spot kick to complete his third double in as many LaLiga matches.
Levante fight back
Levante almost pulled one back in the 60th minute. Victor Garcia beat goalkeeper Joan Garcia. However, Pau Cubarsi’s partial block and Christensen’s goal-line clearance kept the ball out.
The hosts finally reduced the deficit in the 79th minute. An errant pass from Espart allowed Ivan Romero to round Joan Garcia and pass the ball into the net.
Nine minutes later, Levante scored again. Roger Brugue burst through several Barcelona challenges before cutting the deficit to one goal.
Barcelona were suddenly facing the prospect of dropping points after holding a comfortable lead.
However, Adeyemi settled the contest in the 93rd minute. The German winger produced a mazy run before finishing smartly to end Levante’s hopes of a comeback.
The home crowd still applauded their team’s effort. They chanted ‘Levante’ as Adeyemi celebrated his goal.
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