Luuk De Jong scores late-winner as Barcelona defeat Levante

Luuk de Jong scored a dramatic late-winner for FC Barcelona in their 3-2 win over Levante. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also scored his eighth goal in nine La Liga games.

Going into the game, Barcelona was tied on points with Atletico Madrid and Sevilla with 57 points each. However, Levante and Barcelona played out a 0-0 scoreline in the first half before the home side took the lead.

Jose Luis Morales scored what will be the first of three spot-kicks awarded to the home side. Roger Marti should have made it 2-0 in the 56th minute but missed his kick.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the equalizer moments later in the 59th minute, while Pedri scored Barcelona’s second in the 63rd minute. Gonzalo Morelo equalized the score with seven minutes left with their third penalty of the night.

Luuk De Jong secured the win for Barcelona with a late goal. Barcelona is second with 60 points while Sevilla is third with the same number of points.

Barcelona manager Xavi spoke of his satisfaction and happiness with the result, albeit he agreed that the game wasn’t an easy one.

“I leave very happy because this was a match which had me nervous. Levante beat Villarreal and Atletico [Madrid] too. It wasn’t an easy match at all. We weren’t precise, and it wasn’t an excellent match, but we are in the habit of winning and have the mentality to win. We won’t always play brilliant football, and it’s difficult to play against a team which is fighting for its life.” Xavi said.

Barcelona was held to a draw in Germany in the UEFA Europa League last week, and Xavi’s men will now shift their attention to the European competition when Frankfurt visits Camp Nou on Thursday for the second leg of the encounter.

On Monday, Rayo Vallecano will play against Valencia, while in some of the weekend results, Real Madrid beat Getafe 2-0 while Atletico Madrid was beaten 1-0 by Mallorca.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu