Barcelona Vs Levante: Barça win 3-0 as Cancelo is MVP and Pedri returns
Barcelona Vs Levante ended 3-0 as FC Barcelona recovered the LaLiga lead with early and decisive strikes, a standout performance from Joao Cancelo and the return of Pedri to the matchday squad.
Barcelona Vs Levante: Bernal’s early strike set the tone
Marc Bernal opened the scoring four minutes in at the Spotify Camp Nou, his finish coming from a pass by Eric García. The goal arrived after an alarmingly early Levante chance: Carlos Álvarez was through on goal just 18 seconds into the game but struck a weak shot, a finish forced by Eric García. Two minutes later Jules Koundé also had a chance for Barcelona; at seven minutes Ryan pulled off a save to deny Raphinha and the rebound fell to Lewandowski, who shot over.
Cancelo's performance and comments
Joao Cancelo, 31, played on the left despite being right-footed and was chosen MVP after he helped create Bernal’s opener and provided the measured cross that Frenkie de Jong converted around the half-hour mark. Cancelo said this was his best match since returning to the club in January on loan, adding: “Se trata de aprovechar la oportunidad, estaba entrenando muy bien y sentía que el entrenador me iba a poner. Cuando entrenas bien, las cosas simplemente fluyen bien en el campo. ” He described himself as “soy un lateral ofensivo” and emphasized the collective result: “Lo importante es la victoria. El fútbol siempre te da una segunda oportunidad y tras dos malos partidos hemos jugado muy bien ante un equipo con muy buenos jugadores pese a su clasificación y hemos merecido el triunfo. En LaLiga cuesta ganar todos los partidos. ”
Camp Nou dominance, stats and streaks
Frenkie de Jong’s goal and a late left-foot strike from Fermín from outside the area sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory for Hansi Flick’s side. The win put Barcelona back on top of LaLiga, a return that came quickly after the Bernal opener; the team needed only that victory at the Spotify Camp Nou against a side in relegation trouble to reclaim first place once a rival had lost in Pamplona.
FC Barcelona has now scored in its last 45 LaLiga matches, a run the club notes is its best streak of scoring in the competition since a 64-match series between 4 February 2012 and 5 October 2013. Context in the league table also points to historical precedent: of the 22 occasions in which a team had 61 points after 25 matches, 18 went on to win the title, and Barcelona had won each of its eight previous instances at that mark.
Levante struggles and match landmarks
Levante missed two clear chances at the start and ultimately paid for those failures; the defeat was the club’s fourth consecutive in the league. Joan García made a one-on-one save to deny Olasagasti at one point, and Levante keeper Ryan produced a late double save to block a Raphinha header and a close-range effort by Fermín. Pedri was back in the squad and, after warming up, entered the match just after the hour mark alongside Ferran and Fermín — a note that followed an earlier detail that Hansi Flick had rested Cubarsí, Balde, Fermín and Ferran at kickoff.
Match coverage noted other moments: Lamine Yamal sent a center-shot narrowly wide before halftime, a long-range try from Tunde flashed by, and Lewandowski had a present scoring opportunity he did not convert. A match report by Santi Giménez highlighted Cancelo’s performance, Bernal’s state of form and Pedri’s return as the most positive notes for Barcelona.
Other reactions and observations from the day included a short, pointed comment from Joan Laporta about a separate incident: “¿El Madrid? Para una vez que no les regalan un piscinazo... que no se quejen. ” Some postgame quotes in Spanish appear in match coverage without clear attribution in the provided context: “En esa jugada he visto el hueco y me ha salido un buen gol. Me da igual la izquierda que la derecha. ”; “De pequeño no podía tirar mucho porque era muy pequeñito. En Linares me insistieron mucho en eso y cuando volví lo tenía trabajado. ”; and “Hemos hecho autocrítica. Hoy hemos hecho un gran partido y esta es la línea a seguir. ” Unclear in the provided context who spoke each of those lines.
Barcelona’s victory also carried a personal milestone mentioned in match notes: the club’s prodigy has reached 100 triumphs at 18 years, though coverage added that she did not have her most spectacular day but keeps adding wins.
With the LaLiga lead restored, the club’s next confirmed focus is the Copa tie: Barcelona must now attempt a comeback that coverage described as very difficult after a 4-0 first-leg loss at the Metropolitano.
