Levante Vs Alavés: Carlos Espí double hands Levante a controversial 2-0 win
In a match that swung on a sending-off and a late surge, levante vs alavés ended 2-0 as 20-year-old academy forward Carlos Espí scored a brace to lift Levante and feed fresh hope for the club. The result followed the expulsion of Parada and a string of key saves from Mathew Ryan.
Espí, who renewed his contract with the club through 2028 earlier this week, delivered both goals in the closing stages and finished a week the coverage called "perfect" for the young forward. The victory gave Levante the three points and, per one outlet, the head-to-head average over Alavés.
Levante Vs Alavés: Espí’s late double and the red card
Levante won 2-0 with both goals by Carlos Espí. One source lists the opener at 87' and the second at 96'; another source gives the first goal at 88' and the second at 96'. The match was decided after Parada received a second yellow and was sent off, leaving Alavés with ten men for the final half hour.
Controversy over Parada’s dismissal and VAR
The dismissal of Parada provoked sharp criticism in the stadium. Observers noted that the first yellow "should not have existed" because an earlier hold by Adrián De la Fuente 'Dela' on Carles Aleñá went unpunished, and described the second yellow as "very scant. " The referee for the match was Francisco José Hernández Maeso and the VAR official was Mario Mel.
How the first half unfolded — Alavés control, 3-13 in shots
Alavés dominated the opening 45 minutes in shots, outshooting Levante 13 to 3. Antonio Blanco and Pablo Ibáñez produced clear attempts that goalkeeper Mathew Ryan kept out with two important saves, and Dela cleared an Aleñá strike off the line. Levante’s clearest first-half chance came from Carlos Álvarez around the 10th minute, a shot that left the area and went over; Álvarez also reached his 100th appearance for the club in this game.
Lineups, substitutions and match facts
Luís Castro started Carlos Espí ahead of Karl Etta Eyong; Etta began on the bench for a third consecutive match and did not enter until late. Paco Cortés started and was again influential in combination with Álvarez. Eduardo Coudet fielded his recognizable front two of Lucas Boyé and Toni Martínez; Facundo Garcés came on for Toni Martínez after the sending-off.
Match substitutions listed in the provided context were: Carlos Espí (56', Carlos Álvarez), Oriol Rey (57', Ugo Raghouber), Facundo Garcés (62', Toni Martínez), José Luis Morales (68', Paco Cortés), Ander Guevara (71', Carles Aleñá), Karl Etta Eyong (78', Iván Romero), Iker Losada (78', Kareem Tunde), Abde Rebbach (89', Ángel Pérez), Carlos Protesoni (90', Antonio Blanco).
Cortés and Álvarez combined after the break with Álvarez hitting the post. Cortés later tested the area with two shots that met Ugo Raghouber, described as an unexpected barrier for the visitors. José Luis Morales, who had been left out of some recent panels and was nearly invisible to Castro in recent selections, was brought on and played a role in the reaction that led to Espí’s goals. The first goal involved a rebound off Tenaglia and the second arrived as Alavés pushed forward searching for a point.
Broader context: form, stadium and broadcast notes
The fixture at the Ciutat de València (also referenced as Estadio Ciudad de Valencia) came amid pressure on both clubs to secure points for survival and stability in LaLiga. Levante had arrived after defeats to Barcelona (3-0) and Villarreal (0-1), while Alavés had drawn recently with Girona (2-2) and Sevilla (1-1). Eduardo Coudet’s presence on the Alavés bench carried added attention because his name had been linked with River Plate, a development that one report said had prompted initial contacts between River and Coudet’s representative. Broadcast listings cited included DIRECTV Sports and DGO for South America, and DAZN, Movistar+ and LaLiga TV in Spain.
Photographic coverage in one account carried the credit EFE/Ana Escobar and the match was noted with the dateline VALENCIA, 27/02/2026.
Next fixture or the immediate schedule for either side is unclear in the provided context.
