Levante UD loses by the minimum at Mestalla

Levante UD left the Camp de Mestalla without being able to score in a match that was decided thanks to a bicycle kick goal by Hugo Duro in the final moments of the game.

The first clear chance came from the azulgrana side with a shot by Oriol Rey, after a good control by Carlos Álvarez, which went over the crossbar. The response from the blanquinegros came a few minutes later with a shot by Lucas Beltrán. Ryan stretched out his hand to deflect the shot. The match progressed and neither team managed to trouble the opposing goalkeeper. It was after the first half-hour when the locals tried their luck with a move by Beltrán that Javi Guerra finished. Toljan appeared, throwing himself to the ground to save the chance. The game moved towards the end of the first half with approaches but without clarity in the final meters.

After the restart, Valencia CF had more possession and sought the opposing goal with greater insistence. They did so five minutes into the second half with a shot by Danjuma that Ryan deflected. The locals found the net in the 62nd minute through Diego López, but, after a VAR review, the action was annulled for offside.

Levante UD made a triple substitution looking for fresh legs among their players, but, in the 78th minute, Hugo Duro appeared to score with a bicycle kick and decided the match for the locals. The Levante players never gave up and, despite the blow, they did not lower their arms and kept fighting until the end. As a result, they came close to equalizing on two occasions. The first of these, in the 82nd minute, with a header by Koyalipou that Tárrega deflected, and the second, in the 90th minute, with Morales' shot. The ball went just wide.

Finally, the granota team left Mestalla empty-handed despite coming close to equalizing in the final minutes.