Barcelona Vs Levante: Cancelo MVP as Barça reclaim LaLiga lead with a 3-0 win
Barcelona overcame Levante 3-0 in a match that restored the home side to the summit of LaLiga, a result that matters now as it follows Real Madrid's defeat and comes after two cup and league reversals. The barcelona vs levante fixture produced early breaks, three different scorers and a standout performance from Joao Cancelo that the team and coach seized to regain momentum.
Marc Bernal's early strike sets the tone
The match was effectively settled before many fans had unfastened their seats: Marc Bernal converted an Eric García pass four minutes into the game to open the scoring. That goal arrived after a frantic start—Carlos Álvarez had threatened as early as 18 seconds with a one-on-one that he struck weakly under pressure from Eric García, and Jules Koundé went close two minutes in—so Bernal's finish gave Barcelona immediate control. At seven minutes a Raphinha chance required a save from Levante keeper Ryan and a subsequent Lewandowski shot flew over, underlining Barcelona's dominance at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Joao Cancelo in Barcelona Vs Levante
Joao Cancelo, the 31-year-old Portuguese fullback who played on the left despite being right-footed, was central to the first half and named MVP. He took part in the build-up to the 1-0 and provided the pass that Frenkie de Jong converted at around the 30-minute mark to make it 2-0. Cancelo's constant overlapping runs, a near-effort that hit the post when goalkeeper Ryan appeared beaten, and an overall offensive presence were singled out by the player himself after the match. Cancelo described feeling confident he would be chosen to play after training well following his return to the club on loan in the winter transfer window, and he emphasized that the collective victory mattered more than individual praise.
Frenkie de Jong and Fermín add insurance
De Jong's arrival from deep to head in a Cancelo-delivered cross before half-time extended the lead and left Levante with a mountain to climb. Lamine Yamal narrowly missed a curled effort before the break, and the scoreline was 2-0 at half-time. In the second half, Pedri warmed up and was introduced just after the hour alongside Ferran and Fermín; Fermín, who had been rested to start the game, sealed the result with a left-footed strike from outside the area to make it 3-0. The goalkeeper Ryan later produced a double save to deny a Raphinha header and a close-range attempt from Fermín, but the margin already told the story.
Hansi Flick, squad rotation and competition context
Manager Hansi Flick rotated his side by resting Cubarsí, Balde, Fermín and Ferran at the start, and brought key players on as the match progressed. The win returned Barcelona to first place in LaLiga just four minutes into the contest and offered a corrective after consecutive defeats—one in the Copa against Atlético and another in LaLiga against Girona. The timing matters because Real Madrid's earlier loss in Pamplona left the path clear for a change of leader, so a win at the Camp Nou was all Barcelona needed to retake the top spot. Flick's selection of Cancelo paid immediate dividends both in creation and balance.
Statistics, streaks and Levante's struggles
Barcelona extended a scoring run to 45 consecutive LaLiga matches, the club's best sequence since a 64-game stretch between 4 February 2012 and 5 October 2013. The broader implication is notable: historical precedent favors teams in position to capitalize on this run—of 22 instances where a team had 61 points after 25 matches, 18 went on to win the title, and Barcelona had won all eight of its previous occurrences. For Levante, the match compounded problems: they missed two clear openings at the start, could not convert a midgame one-on-one through Olasagasti, and suffered a fourth consecutive defeat that deepens their slide in the table.
Sidelights, reactions and extra details
Joan García made several important saves to keep Levante in the match early on, and the clash was later documented in a match chronicle by Santi Giménez. After the game there were quoted remarks present in the coverage whose speaker is unclear in the provided context. One other contextual note: a mention that a young club 'pearl' reached 100 wins at 18 years is included in the material but the identity connected to that milestone is unclear in the provided context. Off the field, Joan Laporta reacted to other league events with a pointed comment about Real Madrid that read: “¿El Madrid? Para una vez que no les regalan un piscinazo... que no se quejen. ”
What makes this notable is how a quick early goal and an influential fullback performance combined to both secure a comfortable home victory and alter the title race dynamics at a moment when Barcelona needed to dispel recent doubts.
