Levante UD falls to FC Cartagena
Levante UD and FC Cartagena faced each other today with the sole objective of achieving victory, albeit with different purposes. The home team aimed to climb into the promotion playoff zone, while the visitors sought to widen the gap with the relegation zone. In a match where the clearest chances and goals came in the second half, Cartagena secured victory thanks to Ortuño's goal. Levante had the chance to equalize after Bouldini scored, but the referee, after VAR review, decided to disallow the goal.
The Granotas quickly took possession of the ball. They combined to gain ground and reach the opposing area with danger, but failed to create clear chances. They attempted long-range shots from outside the box, through Kochorashvili or Pablo Martínez, but the ball evaded the goal. Meanwhile, FC Cartagena tried to counter-attack but also struggled to generate danger. Towards the end of the first half, Roger Brugué attempted a bicycle kick after a cross from Andrés García, which Fabricio failed to connect accurately, and the ball went over the bar. The Granotas' number 7 then crossed searching for the head of the Brazilian forward, whose header was saved by Raúl Lizoain.
After halftime, the game opened up and both teams began to approach the opposing goal with greater clarity. The visitors were the first to do so with a shot from Luis Muñoz that forced Andrés Fernández to intervene. Levante's response came in the following play with a powerful shot from Roger Brugué from outside the box that narrowly missed the target. Following these early attempts, FC Cartagena took the lead with a header from Alfredo Ortuño. Levante threw everything forward in search of the equalizer. Pablo Martínez tried his luck with a powerful shot from outside the box that went wide, Dani Gómez also had an opportunity saved by the goalkeeper, and Rober Ibáñez delivered a good cross that Bouldini narrowly failed to connect with in front of goal. Levante UD put all their effort into finding the goal that would level the score.
As the match approached its end, the Azulgranas did not give up. Carlos Álvarez, Pablo Martínez... Finally, it was Bouldini who found the net. However, the joy was short-lived, as the referee, after VAR review, disallowed the equalizing goal.
