Levante Seizes Crucial 4–2 Victory Over Oviedo in La Liga Showdown
Relegation tension crackled at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia as bottom-two rivals Levante and Oviedo met in a La Liga six-pointer, and it was the hosts who seized a potentially pivotal 4–2 victory in the Regular Season - 29 round.
Levante, starting the day 19th on 26 points, struck almost immediately. On 4 minutes, Carlos Espí capitalised on Oviedo’s hesitant defending to open the scoring, giving Mathew Ryan’s side the perfect platform in front of an anxious home crowd.
The early goal did little to change the game’s pattern of possession, with Oviedo seeing far more of the ball throughout (62% to Levante’s 38%). Yet Levante were ruthless whenever they advanced. On 25 minutes, Espí struck again, doubling the lead with his second of the evening as the hosts punished another lapse at the back. With Oviedo having conceded 48 league goals before kick-off, their fragility was once more exposed.
The visitors, however, found a lifeline before the break. After Eric Bailly had been booked for a foul in the 38th minute, Oviedo finally turned their territorial dominance into incision. In the 44th minute, Ilyas Chaira scored, assisted by Javi López, finishing off a well-constructed move that cut through Levante’s back line and halved the deficit.
First Half Stoppage Time
First-half stoppage time was chaotic. At 45+6', Alberto Reina went into the book for a foul as Oviedo chased an equaliser with increasing urgency. In between, in the 45th minute, Oviedo’s comeback was completed from the spot: Federico Viñas converted a penalty to make it 2–2, punishing Levante’s loss of control late in the half. A match that had seemed comfortable for the hosts was suddenly level at the interval.
Second Half
After the restart, Levante rediscovered their edge in the final third. On 52 minutes, Iker Losada scored, assisted by Kareem Tunde, restoring the home side’s lead with a composed finish that underlined their cutting edge despite creating fewer chances overall. That goal would prove a turning point: Oviedo never quite recovered their first-half fluency.
Levante made their first change on 61 minutes, when Pablo Martínez came on for Iker Losada, adding fresh legs to a midfield asked to do plenty of work without the ball. Oviedo responded with a triple substitution in the 64th minute to tilt the game back their way: Santi Cazorla came on for Nicolas Fonseca, Haissem Hassan came on for Thiago Fernández, and Abdel Rahim came on for Javi López, who had earlier provided the assist for Chaira. It was an aggressive reshuffle designed to inject creativity and width.
Still, Levante held firm. Oviedo continued to probe, but their attacking threat remained largely sterile, finishing with only 2 shots on target from 10 attempts, compared with Levante’s 8 on target from 20 shots. On 70 minutes, Santiago Colombatto came on for Kwasi Sibo, further refreshing Oviedo’s midfield.
The hosts then endured a brief spell of indiscipline. Kareem Tunde was booked for a foul in the 71st minute, followed by a yellow card for Oriol Rey three minutes later. Levante’s response was swift and pragmatic: in the 75th minute, F. Cortes came on for Kareem Tunde, and Iván Romero came on for Carlos Espí, withdrawing both their two-goal striker and his provider to preserve energy and control in the closing stages.
Oviedo’s frustration grew. Santi Cazorla was booked for a foul on 76 minutes, and with ten minutes of normal time remaining, Álex Forés came on for Alberto Reina in a final attacking roll of the dice. Levante, though, managed the game astutely. On 84 minutes, Tai Abed came on for Víctor García, while Pablo Agudín replaced Nacho Vidal for Oviedo, as both benches used the last of their changes.
In the 89th minute, Levante tightened the midfield further: Kervin Arriaga came on for Jon Ander Olasagasti, and Ugo Raghouber came on for Oriol Rey. The changes gave the hosts extra legs to protect their narrow lead.
The decisive blow arrived right on 90 minutes. Iván Romero scored, with a sharp finish that sealed the 4–2 victory and rewarded Levante’s superior efficiency in front of goal. Oviedo’s goalkeeper Aarón Escandell was beaten four times despite his side allowing just 1.82 expected goals, while Levante’s Ryan did not record a single save, Oviedo’s 1.34 xG reflecting their inability to seriously test him.
Statistically, Oviedo completed more passes (472 to 283) at a higher accuracy (82% to 72%) and enjoyed more of the ball, but Levante’s six blocked shots and relentless direct play underlined a clear game plan: concede territory, win the penalty areas.
In the standings, Levante move from 26 to 29 points, with their goals for rising from 34 to 38 and goals against from 48 to 50, slightly improving a negative goal difference that now stands at -12. Oviedo remain bottom on 21 points, their goals for increasing from 20 to 22 but their goals against worsening from 48 to 52, deepening a goal difference now at -30. On a night when survival was on the line, Levante found the clarity and cutting edge Oviedo so badly lacked.
