La Liga: Barcelona Stages Late Comeback Against Levante as Atletico Madrid Drops Points Again
In an electrifying Saturday of La Liga action, Barcelona fought back from two goals down to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory at newly-promoted Levante, while Atletico Madrid continued their frustrating start to the season with a 1-1 draw against Elche.
Barcelona’s Resilience Shines Through
Barcelona faced an uphill battle in Valencia after first-half goals from Ivan Romero and Jose Luis Morales gave Levante a surprising 2-0 lead. Romero opened the scoring in the 15th minute, skillfully maneuvering past Pau Cubarsi before firing a shot past new signing Joan Garcia. Despite a fierce strike from Ferran Torres that hit the crossbar later in the half, Barcelona found themselves trailing at the break.
The situation worsened for the visitors when a controversial handball decision led to Morales doubling Levante’s lead from the penalty spot just before half-time.
However, Barcelona emerged from the locker room with renewed vigor. Midfielder Pedri sparked the comeback just four minutes into the second half with a stunning 25-yard drive into the top corner. The momentum shifted quickly, and three minutes later, Torres redeemed himself by scoring from close range following a corner.
Levante had a chance to regain the lead but failed to convert a gilt-edged opportunity. As the match entered injury time, Barcelona’s persistence paid off when a cross from Lamine Yamal led to an own goal by Unai Elgezabal, sealing a thrilling comeback for the Catalan giants.
Atletico Madrid’s Frustration Continues
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid remains winless after two matches, settling for a frustrating 1-1 draw against Elche at the Metropolitano Stadium. Just like in their previous loss to Espanyol, Atletico took an early lead when Alexander Sorloth capitalized on a perfectly-weighted pass from David Hancko to score in the eighth minute.
However, Elche equalized shortly after through Rafa Mir, who finished a swift counter-attack. Atletico struggled to regain their advantage, with Giuliano Simeone hitting the post just before half-time. Although he appeared to be on target, a foul in the buildup led to the goal being disallowed.
The second half saw Atletico press for the winner, but missed opportunities plagued their efforts. Conor Gallagher’s long-range half-volley and Marcos Llorente’s snap-shot both went wide, leaving Diego Simeone frustrated. The Atletico manager received a booking for his protests over a penalty appeal late in the match.
In other La Liga action, Mallorca and Celta Vigo played to a 1-1 draw, with Mateu Morey equalizing late in the game after Javi Rueda had put the visitors ahead in the first half.
