Barcelona Survives Levante Collapse to Stay Perfect Under Flick

VALENCIA, Spain — Lamine Yamal’s two-goal performance added to a landmark year for the 17-year-old winger, who earned the Kopa Trophy as the world’s best under-21 player and helped lead Spain to the UEFA European Championship title in mid-2024.

Barcelona had already established control through its high-pressing attacking system when defensive prospect Xavi Espart opened the scoring in the fifth minute. Espart completed a swift passing combination through the center of Levante’s defense for his first senior goal for the club.

The match’s balance changed around the 60th minute, when Hansi Flick withdrew key playmakers Pedri and Yamal in tactical substitutions intended to manage player workload. Levante then took advantage of Barcelona’s defensive lapses, beginning with an error from Espart.

Raphinha doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 19th minute. The Brazilian winger, who assumed an expanded leadership role and the captain’s armband for Barcelona this season, dribbled past an exposed Levante goalkeeper Mathew Ryan before squaring the ball to Yamal for a close-range tap-in.

Flick replaced Xavi Hernández as Barcelona head coach in May 2024. Before taking charge at Barcelona, Flick guided Bayern Munich to a European treble in 2020 and managed the German national team. He has relied heavily on young talent emerging from Barcelona’s La Masia academy system.

Yamal extended Barcelona’s lead to 3-0 directly after halftime, scoring in the 46th minute. He drew a foul inside the penalty area and converted the resulting spot-kick himself for his second goal of the match.

Levante’s first goal arrived in the 62nd minute after Espart misplayed a pass inside his own penalty box. Levante forward Iván Romero intercepted the ball and slotted home for the home side. Nine minutes later, young midfielder Marc Bernal committed a turnover in central midfield, allowing Roger Brugué to capitalize and narrow the deficit to 3-2.

What began as a commanding away performance became a tense finish after the two unforced defensive errors. Substitute Karim Adeyemi provided relief in stoppage time, driving down the left flank on a solo run from his own half before finishing past Ryan in the 90th minute. The goal restored Barcelona’s two-goal cushion and preserved its perfect record.

The 4-2 victory against Levante at the Estadi Ciutat de València on Sunday gave Barcelona its fifth win in five domestic matches. Hansi Flick’s unbeaten start has reached five consecutive La Liga victories, leaving the league leaders with 15 points from a possible 15 and three points clear of second-placed Real Madrid.

Despite the late defensive errors from academy products Espart and Bernal, Barcelona’s four goals at the 26,354-capacity Estadi Ciutat de València ensured the club kept its place alone at the summit of La Liga.