Barca's unbeaten dream vanishes as Levante explodes
Barca paid the price for leaving Messi at home with a 4-5 defeat at Levante, in round 37 of La Liga.
Goals: Emmanuel Boateng 9', 30', 49', Bardhi 46', 56' - Coutinho 38', 59', 64', Luis Suarez 71' penalty
Before round 37, Barca had an unbeaten streak of 43 matches, including the last seven matches of last season and the first 36 matches of this season. As long as they don't lose to Levante and Sociedad, the Catalan team will have a complete unbeaten season.
However, contrary to pursuing the record at all costs, coach Ernesto Valverde decided to let Messi rest. The lack of a "trump card" immediately had a negative impact on the attack.
Without their usual passers, Coutinho and Luis Suarez both failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the early stages of the match. Levante also took advantage of the opponent's ineffective attack to create a surprise victory.
|
Barca's defense could not stop Boateng from continuously scoring. |
Emmanuel Boateng was the standout performer for the home side. The striker wearing the number 21 shirt opened the scoring with a precise tap-in in the ninth minute, before doubling the lead in the 30th minute with a powerful dribble past both Ter Stegen and Nelson Semedo.
As the match entered the second half, Boateng completed his hat-trick with a cross-angle shot that beat Ter Stegen once again.
Barca also paid the price for rushing forward by leaving gaps in their defence for the opposition to exploit. In the 46th and 56th minutes, Enis Bardhi scored from counter-attacks straight into the visitors' centre. Levante led 5-1 after just over half the match.
|
Levante had an explosive match against Barca. Photo: Reuters |
While the whole team was under psychological pressure and tactical chaos, Philippe Coutinho was the only player who played at his best for Barca. In addition to the curling shot to reduce the score to 1-2 in the 38th minute, the Brazilian star scored two more goals in the middle of the second half. These were also goals that showed Coutinho's ability to seize opportunities very quickly when receiving the ball and finishing in the middle of a crowd of Levante defenders.
In contrast to Coutinho, Luis Suarez had an average match. Apart from the accurate penalty kick from a foul on Sergio Busquets in the box in the 71st minute, the Uruguayan striker did not score any more goals. Suarez's most regrettable moment was a header that went over the bar just six meters from goal in the 75th minute.
|
Coutinho scored a hat-trick but it was not enough to save Barca. |
Losing to Levante ended Barca's dream of an unbeaten season. The Catalans can only be satisfied with a record of 43 unbeaten matches spanning two seasons, five matches more than the previous mark set by Sociedad in the 1980s.
