August 23, (THEWILL) – At the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Sunday, home side Levante produced an incredible second-half comeback to claim a 3-3 draw against Real Madrid. The result saw each side take a point from the fixture but Levante needed to convert an outfield player into a goalkeeper after a red card incident in the final minutes of their tie.
The cracker of a match had everything including a second half that produced no fewer than five goals. Real’s Vinicius Junior bagged a brace for his efforts and Levante goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez was shown a straight red card to add to the chaotic second period.
To their credit, even when numerically disadvantaged, the hosts held on to secure the draw and earn a point that they thoroughly deserved for the resilient fightback they marshalled in the second period and for their confident lead before Real levelled.
The Spanish giants travelled to the Ciudad de Valencia on the back of an opening weekend win over Alaves, but were unable to build on that result as they dropped two valuable points, similarly to how Barcelona fared this weekend against Athletic Club Bilbao.
Returning forward Gareth Bale gave Real the lead when he swept home a finish after being set up by fellow forward Karim Benzema, just five minutes into the tie. VAR was used to check for a potential offside, but the goal was allowed to stand for the opener.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side continued to grow in dominance the further the first half progressed. Bale, Benzema and Isco were brilliant for the visitors. However, Levante held on to give themselves a chance of a comeback before the interval came with only that Bale goal on record.
The hosts emerged for the second half with renewed vigour and took just 30 seconds to find an equaliser through Roger Marti. The centre forward broke the Real Madrid offside trap to squeeze a finish underneath Thibaut Courtois in the visitor’s goal.
Levante completed the initial turnaround when Jose Campana launched a thunderous half-volley into the top corner of Courtois’ net, prompting Ancelotti to make no fewer than three changes to his team all at once to evoke a strong response.
One of those substituted on, the Brazilian winger Vinicius, proved to be an inspirational move as the forward made an instant impact. He raced to get himself through on goal before slotting a low finish past Aitor Fernandez, the Levante goal tender.
But, Levante was not about to let up and they regained their lead 10 minutes from the end through Rober Pier who was the grateful beneficiary of a bouncing ball from a poorly-defended freekick into the area. In the minds of the home fans, it seemed they were going to register an exciting victory over their more illustrious opponents.
Vinicius spoiled that hope with his second of the game. The Brazilian winger flipped a finish off the inside of the far post. Then, drama ensued as Fernandez was shown a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity with his hands 40 yards off his line and outside his area.
Their numerical advantage so close to the end made Real press harder for a winner, but were unable to create one last opportunity as defender Vezo did enough as an emergency goalkeeper to make sure there would be no more goals in the tie. And that was how it ended three goals apiece and one point shared.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
