Levante produced a statement performance to beat Real Betis 5-2 in the third round of La Liga on Friday evening at the Ciutat de València. The hosts had not won in three matches before this, losing to Espanyol 3-0 and drawing 0-0 with Osasuna, while Betis arrived with two victories from two previous outings, including a 1-0 win at Valencia.
And here's the thing about how this began — Levante took the lead in the twenty-fourth minute through Adrián de la Fuente Barquilla, a goal that set the tone for the rest of the half. Marc Bartra doubled the advantage at thirty-four, and then the minutes piled up as Enzo Bardeli struck at forty-five-plus-one, followed almost immediately by Rodrigo Riquelme at forty-five-plus-four. By then the visitors were chasing the game.
The second half brought more drama. Roger Brugué found the net at fifty-six, and after several substitutions from both managers — Isco and Troy Parrott came on for Betis at fifty-seven, while Enzo Bardeli was replaced at sixty-five — Brugué added his second at seventy. Jon Ander Olasagasti closed out the scoring at ninety-plus-five, a moment that came after Pablo García and Jeremy Toljan had each picked up bookings in a tense closing period.
Statistics tell a curious story here. Levante won with just forty per cent possession but registered ten shots on target against Betis's six, while the visitors completed 570 passes to Levante's 381. The hosts created five big chances with an expected goals tally of 2.99, whereas Betis managed two big chances from 1.97 expected goals — a mismatch that reflects how this match was decided.
Three substitutions for Levante at sixty-seven saw Marc Roca and Rodrigo Riquelme replaced, and then Roger Brugué was taken off at eighty-four after his brace. The yellow cards — García for Levante, Toljan for Betis — came in the closing stages when the game had already been settled.
What this means for the table is worth noting. Levante move into ninth place with four points from three games, one win, one draw and one defeat. Betis drop to sixth with six points, two wins and one loss — a result that ends their unbeaten run and shows how quickly things can change at this stage of the season.
