Lamine Yamal double helps Barcelona beat Levante
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VALENCIA, Sept 13 : Lamine Yamal scored twice as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season with a hard-fought 4-2 LaLiga victory over Levante in Valencia on Sunday.
Xavi Espart and Karim Adeyemi were also on target for Barcelona, who are alone at the top of the LaLiga table with five wins from five, three points ahead of Real Madrid.
Barcelona went ahead after five minutes when a slick one-touch move ended with 19-year-old Espart firing home from the edge of the box via a slight deflection for his first senior goal.
Barcelona continued to dominate possession and doubled their advantage in the 19th minute. Raphinha controlled Fermin Lopez’s through ball expertly and picked out an unmarked Lamine in the centre of the box for an easy finish.
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Levante rallied after their early struggles, applying some pressure of their own, and despite failing to create a clear opening, ended the half with six attempts to Barcelona’s three.
A limping Gerard Martin was targeted by Levante’s forwards, and withdrawn by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick at halftime, replaced by Andreas Christensen.
Barcelona struck when Aissa Mandi conceded a penalty for a foul on Lamine 42 seconds after the restart. The winger converted the spot kick to complete his third double in as many LaLiga matches and puncture Levante’s growing belief that they could fight their way back into the contest.
Levante came close on the hour when Victor Garcia beat goalkeeper Joan Garcia, but a partial block by Pau Cubarsi and Christensen’s goal-line clearance combined to keep his effort out.
An errant pass from Espart in the 79th minute allowed Levante to pull one back, with forward Ivan Romero rounding Joan Garcia before passing the ball into the net.
Nine minutes later, Roger Brugue burst through multiple Barcelona challenges to reduce the deficit to one goal as what looked like a comfortable Barcelona win threatened to turn into a heroic Levante comeback.
Yet Adeyemi’s mazy run and smart finish in the 93rd minute ended the hosts’ hopes of a draw. The home crowd nevertheless showed their appreciation for the fighting spirit shown by their side, chanting ‘Levante’ as the German celebrated his goal.
Despite their late wobble, Barcelona secured a sixth successive win in all competitions, with Rodri’s assured midfield display and captain Raphinha’s relentless running central to their success.
Source: Reuters
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