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Barcelona secured a late 3-2 victory away to Levante in a thrilling contest from start to finish in the last game of the La Liga matchday on Sunday, April 10. Both sides deserve great credit for putting their bodies on the line to make for great viewing for the fans.
Levante came into the game on the back of a mixed run of form, recording two wins, one draw and two losses in their last five in La Liga. Barcelona, on the other hand, entered the contest in top form, winning five out of their last five in the league.
The home side were the sharper team among the two at the start and Jose Morales attempted a shot in the very first minute of the game. They continued to string together a series of moves and put pressure on Barcelona as the half progressed. Hard and sometimes clumsy challenges flew in from either side, with neither willing to allow a defensive breach.
Barcelona stuttered throughout the initial exchanges but slowly started to find their feet in defense. Ronald Araujo made some crucial tackles and interceptions and anchored Barca's backline.
Morales continued to threaten and made a darting run past multiple defenders before unleashing a shot which forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into action. Eric Garcia made a heroic goalline clearance following his goalkeeper's save to keep the ball out of the net.
It was a tightly contested first half with neither side able to break the deadlock as they went into the break at 0-0.
Barcelona started the second half looking much sharper between the two sides. However, Levante took a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute. Dani Alves was adjudged to have tripped wing-back Son in the box and Jose Morales converted the penalty.
Barca stretched Levante out and played some quick passes to create crossing opportunities. Ousmane Dembele provided an assist to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to bring Barca back into the game at 1-1.
Manager Xavi Hernandez then made the decision to bring on both Pedri and Gavi, which turned out to be a master-stroke. The youngsters combined for a few quick, short passes before the ball broke to Pedri. He slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner with a first-time effort with his right foot to put Barcelona 2-1 up.
Levante put together some efficient moves to break into Barcelona's defensive third. However, they failed to convert any of those chances. One of the best of the lot fell to Gonzalo Melero but he could not capitalize. However, he redeemed himself soon after. The hosts were remarkably awarded their third penalty of the night from which Melero converted without any hiccups to make it 2-2.
After conceding the penalty, Barcelona amped up the pressure with Pedri leading the charge. He created a wonderful opportunity for his side and played a beautiful pass to Jordi Alba, who crossed the ball into Luuk de Jong's path. The Dutchman headed in at the near post to make it 3-2, a goal that turned out to be the winner.
Barcelona held on to further push for their objective of finishing at least second in La Liga. With that said, let's take a look at their player ratings from tonight's game.
Barcelona Player Ratings
Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 8/10
The German played a pivotal role for Barcelona. He made a wonderful one-handed save after Morales made a brilliant run into the box and attempted a low finish. Ter Stegen's distribution was great, with one of them putting Ferran Torres through with the attacker taking a tame shot at goal.
Saved Levante's second penalty with confidence to keep his side in the game.
Dani Alves - 5.5/10
The veteran Brazilian showed up in some great attacking areas in the first half. He ventured forward and combined well with Dembele and Busquets to create triangles for Barcelona to progress.
However, he had a clumsy moment early in the second half, giving away a penalty and costing his side dearly. Morales scored from the spot to make it 1-0 to the hosts.
Ronald Araujo - 6/10
Araujo put in a mature and combative performance in defense. He did well to mark and track Morales and Campana on Barcelona's right side. The Uruguayan put in some hard tackles and commanded the backline well.
Eric Garcia - 7/10
The Spaniard put in a great shift in defense for Barcelona. He tracked his runners well and coordinated with Araujo to thwart Levante's attacks. Garcia made a last-ditch goal-line clearance in the first half to prevent the hosts from taking an early lead.
Jordi Alba - 7/10
The veteran full-back had a balanced outing. He made several overlapping runs to offer his side another dimension in attack. Alba combined well with Dembele and De Jong to create some silky moves.
Nico Gonzalez - 6/10
Coming in to replace Pedri in central midfield was never going to be an easy ask from the youngster. But Nico looked comfortable and held his own very well. He put in some strong challenges and made it hard for Levante to get into a rhythm in midfield. Pedri came on in the 57th minute to replace Nico.
Sergio Busquets - 6/10
Busquets bore the brunt of a few crunching challenges from opposition players. However, he dropped deeper and pulled the strings from the heart of Barcelona's midfield.
Frenkie De Jong - 6.5/10
The Dutchman put in a routine shift on the left side of Barcelona's midfield. He combined well with Ferran Torres and helped his side break through the opposition lines.
Ousmane Dembele - 8/10
The Frenchman put on a remarkable showing with the ball at his feet. He dribbled past opponents with ease and made significant inroads into Levante's half. However, coming up against hard-tackling opponents was not easy and he provided limited end product. He provided an assist for Aubameyang to head in a vital equalizer for the visitors.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 7.5/10
Aubameyang looked a shade of himself throughout the first half. He miscontrolled the ball on multiple occasions and seemed lethargic when the ball was played to him with his back to goal. He offered very little dynamism in the first period but that changed soon after the restart. The Gabonese headed in from a cross from the right wing to make it 1-1.
Ferran Torres - 7/10
The Spaniard put in a good shift on Barcelona's left wing. His passing ability and goal threat made Torres' movement a threat for Levante to constantly deal with. However, he looked a bit off the mark as his shots sailed wide of the target and provided no goal-threat.
Substitutes
Pedri - 8/10
Pedri made an instant impact after coming on to replace Nico early in the second half of the game. He combined well with his fellow substitute Gavi, who provided the assist for Pedri to score and put Barca 2-1 up.
Gavi - 7.5/10
Xavi's decision turned out to be a stroke of genius as Gavi set up Pedri to score the goal that put Barca 2-1 up and in firm control of their own destiny.
Clement Lenglet - 4.5/10
The Frenchman came on late in the game. Although he did not play enough minutes to warrant a proper rating, he gave away a late penalty from which Levante duly equalized to make it 2-2.
Luuk de Jong - 7/10
Came on in the dying embers and scored a sharp header at the near post to secure a 3-2 win for his side in the 93rd minute.
Adama Traore - N/A
Traore did not play enough minutes or contribute in a way that warrants a rating.
