Levante - Alavés: Espí’s late double reshapes the survival picture and piles pressure on Coudet

The match Levante - Alavés changed who feels the heat first: Levante’s agonizing win lifts hope in the survival race, while Alavés faces sharper scrutiny over form and its coach’s future. The game ended 2-0 at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, with Carlos Espí scoring twice late; the result moves Levante within three points of safety and leaves several managerial and timeline questions unresolved.

Impact on the relegation race and the coach’s standing after Levante - Alavés

Here’s the part that matters: the win puts Levante closer to avoiding relegation — three points shy of safety in one account — and hands momentum to a side that had been on a four-match losing streak. Alavés, by contrast, sits nearer to the danger zone, with 27 points and only three clear of the red area in the provided context. The match also intensified chatter about the Alavés coach, who is linked to a high-profile vacancy in Argentina; that speculation now collides with a damaging away loss.

Match snapshot and turning points

Alavés dominated large portions of the first half — finishing that period with 12 attempts versus Levante’s three — and relied on attackers Lucas Boyé and Toni Martínez for forward thrust. Levante struggled to connect with Carlos Álvarez before he suffered an injury, though he had shown moments of threat earlier. Goalkeeper Sivera produced key saves on Ibáñez and Antonio Blanco, and a clearance by Dela prevented a certain goal from Aleñá.

The match swung after Alavés was reduced to ten men in the second half. One account places Víctor Parada’s expulsion at 15 minutes of the second half; another marks it as a second-yellow at the 61st minute — unclear in the provided context. From that point Levante grew dominant and the freshly introduced forward Carlos Espí scored the opener in the 43rd minute of the second half and added a second in the sixth minute of added time to seal a 2-0 victory.

Coaching, contracts and the surrounding noise

Outside the pitch, the Alavés coach has emerged as a target for a managerial vacancy in Argentina after Marcelo Gallardo’s departure following his final match on Thursday. The coach denied contact from the Argentine club, swearing by his children that no call had been received. Contractually, any interested Argentine club would need to negotiate with Alavés: the coach’s deal runs until June 30, which is stated as the end of the season in the provided context.

Immediate consequences, substitutions and squad notes

Facing the numerical disadvantage, Alavés reshuffled: Toni Martínez was withdrawn for Facundo Garcés in a bid to shore up the defense. Later, Alavés introduced Etta Eyong and Iker Losada as the visitors increasingly focused on damage limitation and defending their box rather than attacking beyond midfield. Levante’s manager also made attacking and positional changes that culminated in the late goals by Espí.

• Levante’s position: described as antepenultimate with 21 points and four behind the last team that, in one account, would be safe given an extra match played.
• Alavés’ position: listed with 27 points, three from the relegation zone.
• Match venue and context: the game took place at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia and was the start of matchday Nº26 in LaLiga.
• Competition context note from the provided material: a site landing message invited readers to stay on the current edition or switch to a preferred edition; promotional mention of a premium plan also appeared in the original coverage.

It’s easy to overlook, but the first-half statistical edge for Alavés (12 shots to 3) underlines how the result was turned by a single sending-off and late finishing rather than by sustained superiority across 90 minutes.

The following brief bullets summarize the clearest signals and next confirmations that would matter moving forward:

• Confirmation of the exact minute of Víctor Parada’s expulsion would clarify how quickly the game’s balance shifted.
• Medical updates on Carlos Álvarez’s injury and the fitness of Alavés key players will indicate whether the visitor’s poor form will ease or deepen.
• Any formal approach from the Argentine club for the Alavés coach would require negotiation before June 30, per the contract detail provided.
• A sustained positive result for Levante after this win would make the three-point gap cited in the context a more durable measure of survival prospects.

Mini timeline (relevant moments from the provided context):

• Start of matchday Nº26: match played at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia where Levante defeated Alavés 2-0.
• The coach linked to an Argentine vacancy had his alleged successor situation mentioned after Marcelo Gallardo’s last match on Thursday.
• Contract detail: the coach’s deal with Alavés runs until June 30 (end of the season, per the provided context).

The real question now is whether this result will shift momentum long enough to alter either club’s season trajectory: Levante needs points to climb out of the relegation mire described, and Alavés must respond to a defeat that amplified off-field speculation. Recent notes in the coverage also included a brief site message inviting readers to choose editions and a promotional line about a premium streaming plan.

Writer’s aside: The match shows how quickly a game can pivot on an expulsion and late finishing; that pattern often forces clubs and coaches into reactive decisions in the weeks that follow.