Levante 2-3 Barcelona: Blaugrana salvage three points in stunning comeback | OneFootball

Barcelona fought back to claim all three points against Levante on Saturday, salvaging a 2-3 win against last season’s Segunda División champions at the Estadi Ciutat de València after trailing by two goals at the break.

Iván Romero’s mazy finish handed les Granotes an early lead against the reigning LaLiga champions, with 38-year-old José Luis Morales doubling the hosts’ lead just before the break after a lengthy VAR check saw Alejandro Balde penalised for handball.

But Barça needed just seven minutes to turn their fate around in the second half, with quickfire goals from Pedri and Ferran Torres restoring parity. It wasn’t until the 91st minute, though, that they’d find the winner, with an unfortunate own goal from Unai Elgezabal sealing the deal in dramatic fashion.

As it happened

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona were stunned from the start by an impressive Levante side, looking to deny Barça their second consecutive win of the 2025/26 LaLiga campaign. José Luis Morales threatened to hand les Granotes an early lead when his effort in the eighth minute had Joan Garcia beaten, only to be denied by the offside flag.

The Blaugrana failed to heed the warning though, and were punished soon after when a blistering counterattack saw Iván Romero ripple the back of the net. Jeremy Toljan was able to pull the ball back into the centre of the box for the forward, who danced past a handful of defenders before despatching past Joan Garcia to seal Levante’s early advantage.

Barça, who have so often impressed when trailing, looked to restore parity before the half-hour mark. Lamine Yamal’s header from inside the box flew over the crossbar though, and Ferran Torres’ effort as half-time approached struck the woodwork after initially beating the goalkeeper.

The visitors’ inability to capitalise on their positive momentum soon came back to bite them. Three minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half saw Alejandro Balde commit a handball offence inside the penalty area, and after a lengthy VAR review, Morales was afforded chance to double Levante’s lead. He did so confidently from the spot, slotting into the bottom right corner with the last kick before the break.

But Levante’s hard work was rapidly undone by the Blaugrana within ten second-half minutes. A thumping long-range effort from Pedri left Pablo Cuñat stunned, before an instinctive finish inside the box saw Torres turn home from a corner three minutes later to drag Barça level.

Torres could have fired his side into the lead with 20 minutes remaining at the Estadi Ciutat de València after rising highest inside the box to turn a dangerous cross towards goal, though a fine Cuñat save denied the 25-year-old his second goal of the evening.

Lamine Yamal was, as always, a bright spark for the visitors inside the dying stages of the match – but his teasing cross was hoofed away from danger by the Levante defence, and an overhit chipped pass failed to pick out a teammate before rolling out of play.

Still, seven minutes of stoppage time offered both sides one final opportunity to clinch all three points. Barcelona seized that chance, with a pinpoint delivery from Yamal on the right flank sparking mayhem inside the box that ultimately resulted in Unai Elgezabal nodding past his own goalkeeper to confirm a Barça victory.

Despite suffering an agonising late defeat, Levante will be buoyed by an impressive performance against the LaLiga champions and will look to carry momentum into Friday’s trip to Elche. Barça’s next outing sees them head to Vallecas on Sunday.

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