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Levante logo
La Liga
Sep 21, 2014 at 8pm UK
 
Barcelona logo

0-5

FT(HT: 0-2)
Neymar (34'), Rakitic (44'), Ramirez (57'), Pedro (64'), Messi (77')

Live Commentary: Levante 0-5 Barcelona - as it happened

Sports Mole provides live text coverage as La Liga leaders Barcelona take on Levante.
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Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga on Sunday night thanks to a 5-0 triumph over bottom club Levante.

It was Neymar who opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half, before Loukas Vyntra was shown a red card for conceding a penalty to Lionel Messi, who missed the target from 12 yards.

Ivan Rakitic would extend the lead before the break, and Barcelona added further goals through Sandro Ramirez, Pedro and Messi as they secured a fourth successive league win.

Read below to find out how Barcelona's 100% record at the start of the new season continued.


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That's all from me tonight. Analysis and reaction from this game is on the way, so make sure you check that out. Thanks for joining me. Goodnight.

Barcelona's perfect start to the new season continues with an emphatic victory over Levante, who never really had a chance after being reduced to 10 men in the first half. Luis Enrique's side are top once again, while Levante remain bottom of La Liga.

FULL TIME: LEVANTE 0-5 BARCELONA

Messi is searching for a sixth, but his attempt fails as a clever flick is intercepted by Sissoko. The Argentine has barely broken a sweat tonight, but has been involved in everything for the visitors.

Just two minutes of added time to be played tonight. Fortunately for Levante, the misery will be over soon.

Alves ignores the options on the box as he tries his luck from 25 yards with an effort that is far too weak to trouble Jesus, even in these difficult conditions.

Enrique is a very relaxed man as he watches on from the touchline. It looks like a training session out there now as Barcelona share the ball around. Not too many home fans remain in the stands now.

Messi looks desperate for more goals as he drives Barcelona forward again before playing his through ball to firm, forcing Sandro to abandon his run on goal. Levante just want the final whistle to come now.

Barcelona have been forced to make a slight change to their formation. Alba seems to be struggling with an injury, but instead of playing the remainder of the game with 10 men, he has slotted in at centre back and Mathieu is playing on the left. All of the substitutes may have been made, but it might be worth just taking Alba off at this stage.

CHANCE! Xavi plays a trademark pass onto the head of Mathieu, who unselfishly attempts to head the ball back across the box, but Pedro is unable to tap in at the back post. Almost a very good goal from the league leaders.

It's been a tough night for Levante, and it's not over yet. They've got almost everyone behind the ball now as Barcelona knock the ball around the pitch under no pressure at all. The visitors will feel that they can score more goals tonight.

It had to happen, didn't it? It's unforgiveable from Jesus as he throws the ball straight to Messi, who punishes the error by earning himself a yard before chipping the ball over the Levante goalkeeper. Superb finish. All of that came seconds after Jesus had saved Mathieu's powerful strike. 12 minutes left for Levante to limit the damage.

GOAL! LEVANTE 0-5 BARCELONA (MESSI)

There's a slice of karma for Pedro Lopez as he hurts himself attempting to chop down Sergi Roberto as the Barcelona youngster sprinted away from him. He should be fine to continue.

SUBSTITUTIONS: The peerless Iniesta is given a rest as Sergi Roberto is sent on for the final 18 minutes plus stoppage time. Barral's night is also over as Ruben Garcia comes on or Levante.

Messi's route to goal is blocked by Simao following a brilliant run from the Argentine. Barcelona are piling the pressure on once again. It feels like another goal is just around the corner.

A rare venture forward from Levante results in Casadesús, bereft of options, firing wide of the target from 25 yards out.

Real Madrid scored eight yesterday, and I wouldn't be surprised if Barcelona get near that total tonight. Iniesta, Xavi and Messi are finding space with apparent ease as the home side drop deeper and deeper. Worrying times for the hosts.

Lovely football from Barcelona brings a fourth as Alba exchanges passes with Sandro before pulling the ball back for Pedro, who tapped into an empty net after Jesus had tried to keep out the Spanish full-back. It's all very easy for the visitors now.

GOAL! LEVANTE 0-4 BARCELONA (PEDRO)

SUBSTITUTIONS: Enrique decides it's time for another change as Busquets makes way for Xavi, while Sissoko is on in place of Diop.

It's turning into a very easy night for Barcelona. They're passing the ball around as if they're on the training ground. Levante are finding it very difficult.

SUBSTITUTION: First change of the night for the hosts as Andreas Ivanschitz comes off the bench to replace Morales.

It's a second goal of the season for Sandro Ramirez as he slots home calmly after Messi had squared the ball for the youngster. Good work from Busquets in the build-up to the goal, too. This one is all over.

GOAL! LEVANTE 0-3 BARCELONA (SANDRO)

A Pedro handball gifts Levante a good chance, but Diop can only hit the wall with his free kick from the edge of the box. Set pieces could be the only way the hosts get back into this match.

Barcelona have slowed the pace of the game to make Levante work even harder to get the ball back. It's going to be a long second half for the hosts if this continues.

SUBSTITUTION: The Barcelona medical staff decide it's not worth a risk. It looks like Neymar may have hurt that back again, so it's no surprise to see them take him off. He's back on his feet, but is replaced by the 19-year-old Sandro Ramirez.

Worrying signs for Barcelona. The visitors are keeping the ball very well, but Neymar is off the pitch receiving treatment and he looks in a lot of pain. It's unclear what the problem is right now.

First shot of the second half comes from Barcelona as Messi tees up Iniesta, who curls the ball over the crossbar from the left side of the box.

The rain is a lot heavier now, and we've already seen a few players slip over tonight. That could make life difficult for the goalkeepers in the second half.

Both sets of players e back out on the pitch at the Estadi Ciutat de Valenica. No changes for either side just yet. Barcelona will get the game back underway.


Mendilibar may have to make changes at the break following Vyntra's dismissal. Their chances of getting something from this game now appear to be very slim. There's not many defensive options on the Levante bench, but Victor Perez could be asked to fill a gap in the second half.

Levante may feel that the red card was slightly harsh, and replays prove that it was a join effort from Vyntra and Tono to bring down Messi. In truth, the Argentine was about to pull the trigger from six yards out, so you have to call that a clear goalscoring opportunity. Perhaps the biggest surprise was seeing Messi miss the target from 12 yards.

Plenty of drama in the opening 45 minutes. A stubborn Levante defence was eventually breached by Neymar, before Messi fired a penalty wide just moments after Vyntra had been sent off. Rakitic scored his side's second late on in the first half, and Barcelona look on their way to another win.

HALF TIME: LEVANTE 0-2 BARCELONA

Wow! The ball drops to Rakitic on the outside of the box, and he doubles the Barcelona lead with a powerful half-volley which takes the slightest of deflections of Diop. It's a brilliant strike from the Croatian.

GOAL! LEVANTE 0-2 BARCELONA (RAKITIC)

YELLOW CARD! Crazy end to this first half as Busquets picks up a yellow for late challenge on Barral. Replays show that Simao had initially been sent off after the equaliser, before the referee recognised his mistake. Levante's supporters clearly feel he made more than one error.

RED CARD! It could be 2-0 very soon. Iniesta plays a brilliant pass to Messi, who is chopped down in the box by Vyntra and Tono. The referee decides the culprit was Vyntra, who is then shown a harsh red card. However, the penalty is missed! Messi blasts wide of the target from 12 yards and his face tells the story. What a shocking few moments.

Vyntra almost gifts Barcelona a second with a weak pass back to his goalkeeper, but Jesus manages to clear the danger before Messi can intercept.

YELLOW CARD! Morales can't argue with this one as he goes into the book for pulling back Neymar as the Brazilian looked to sprint away from the Levante defence.

YELLOW CARD! The first booking of the match goes to Mascherano after he brings down Morales on the halfway line.

Messi gets involved, and now Barcelona lead. He plays a superb pass to slice open the Levante defence and find the run of Neymar, who avoids the challenge of Jesus before tapping the ball into an empty net. The goalkeeper probably should have done slightly better. Barcelona don't care!

GOAL! LEVANTE 0-1 BARCELONA (NEYMAR)

Simao plays a superb pass into the box for Morales, but he's unable to get a toe on the ball in the six-yard box. Neymar breaks away impressively, with his cross eventually falling for Pedro, who volleys wide.

As always, Messi is being closely watched by his markers. We've seen very little of the Argentine in the final third of the pitch, but he's often been involved in midfield. Barcelona surely need to get him closer to Neymar.

Barcelona are looking a little nervous at the back. Mathieu has made a couple of mistakes, and Mascherano has just followed his partner's example with a sliced clearance. Luckily for the visitors, Levante are unable to punish them.

It's still Barcelona who are dominating possession, but they've been frustrated in the final third of the pitch, while Levante have shown that they can cause problems on the counter-attack.

CHANCE! This would have been a lovely goal. Mascherano clips a brilliant pass over the top of the Levante defence, but Neymar's header drifts past the post after beating Jesus to the ball.

CHANCE! Levante break well in numbers following a Barcelona free kick. Tono's cross from the left is a good one, but Barral doesn't get enough of the ball with a diving header.

Hector Rodas is fortunate not to be punished for elbowing Neymar in the back. A replay showed it was certainly a deliberate move from the defender. Neymar is fine to continue, and delights the crowd with a trick in midfield.

SAVE! Iniesta is the creator this time as he picks out the run of Neymar, whose low effort is well blocked by Levante's goalkeeper Jesus.

Good movement inside the box from Neymar, but he's unable to make the desired contact with his header from an Alves cross.

The referee has had enough. He's dropped the vanishing spray twice in the first half, and has finally decided to throw the can off the pitch!

CHANCE! First opening of the game for the visitors as Messi releases Alba, but the full-back wastes a great opportunity by firing well wide of the target from the left side of the box.

Superb from Rakitic! Levante are so close to going ahead as Morales leaves Mathieu on the floor before crossing for Casadesus, but he's denied by a goal-saving challenge from Rakitic at the back post.

Levante are showing signs of improvement. They've pushed a few yards further up the pitch, and are starting to force Barcelona into a few errors. Very few chances to report early on.

Another Barcelona mistake, this time from Mathieu, allows Morales to sprint into the box, but Alba responds well to take care of the problem. Morales then volleys wide moments later.

Good work from Bravo as he rushes off the line to clear a poor pass from Mascherano as Camarasa looked to take advantage of the error.

Levante are sitting very, very deep. It's understandable, but you do feel that it's only a matter of time until Barcelona pick the right pass on the edge of the box. We've seen very little of Messi in the early stages.

Worrying signs for Levante as Barcelona continue to dictate the tempo. Rakitic and Iniesta are seeing the plenty of the ball, and it's already starting to look like attack vs. defence.

Barcelona aren't too far away from taking an early lead. An Iniesta cross is knocked back across the box by Alves. The ball falls to Mathieu, but his effort is deflected wide and Levante clear the corner which follows.

Barcelona quickly win the ball, and settle into their passing rhythm with apparent ease. Levante are going to be chasing the ball a lot tonight.

Here we go then. It's going to be Levante who get the game underway.

PREDICTION: It's going to be a difficult night for Levante. The real test will be staying disciplined at the back for 90 minutes. If Barcelona score early, it could be a comfortable win for the visitors. I'll go for a 3-0 Barcelona win.

We're almost ready to go in Valencia. The players are on their way out of the tunnel now, and kickoff is around five minutes away.

Sevilla have just beaten Cordoba 3-1 and go top of La Liga with that victory. Of course, all of that will change if Barcelona can get past Levante tonight.


It's going to be a tough night for Levante, that much is obvious. Teams in their position often attempt to 'park the bus' but I'm sure that José Luis Mendilibar will feel his side have to attack to stand any chance of enjoying success tonight.

Gone are the days when Gerard Pique and Xavi were two of the first names on the Barcelona team sheet. Both still offer so much to the club, but in the case of Pique, Enrique is clearly eager to put his faith in summer signing Mathieu.

Let's take a quick look at the players on each bench tonight.

LEVANTE: Marino, El Zhar, Ruben Garcia, Xumetra, Perez, Ivanschitz, Sissoko

BARCELONA: Ter Stegen, Montoya, Pique, Xavi, Roberto Ramirez, Munir


Luis Enrique has made plenty of changes to his Barcelona side following the midweek win over APOEL. Claudio Bravo, Jordi Alba, Jeremy Mathieu, Ivan Rakitic, Andres Iniesta and Pedro all return to the starting lineup tonight. There's no room in the Levante side for Ruben Garcia or Mohamed Sissoko, with both players forced to settle for a spot on the bench.

LEVANTE: Jesus; Tono, Hector, Vyntra, Barral; Morales, Casadesus, Pedro Lopez, Diop; Simao, Camarasa

BARCA: Bravo; Alves, Mathieu, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta; Messi, Pedro, Neymar


For Levante, a win would mean so much. They're currently bottom of the table with just one point, and head into this match as huge underdogs. We've all seen it happen before, but is an upset too unlikely tonight?

It's too early in the season to be talking about the title, but Barcelona have a great opportunity to pull further away from their closest two rivals tonight. After Atletico Madrid drew with Celta Vigo yesterday, a Barcelona win would move them four points clear of the champions and six ahead of Real Madrid.

Good evening everyone. A busy weekend of football is almost over, but we've got another big match ahead of us tonight. La Liga leaders Barcelona are back in action as they look for a fourth successive league win against Levante. I'll be bringing you live updates throughout the game.

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