Levante breathed fresh life into their survival bid with a pulsating 4-2 comeback victory over fellow strugglers Oviedo at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, a result that reshapes the bottom of the La Liga table. The hosts, who began the day 19th, move to 29 points from 30 games (goals for 38, against 50), while rock-bottom Oviedo remain marooned on 21 points, now with 20 goals scored and 52 conceded.
The tone was set almost immediately. On 4 minutes, Levante’s direct approach paid off as Carlos Espí struck the opener. The forward, listed as C. Espi in the match report, reacted quickest in the box to punish hesitant defending and give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.
Levante’s aggressive start continued to unsettle Oviedo, and Espí doubled the advantage in the 25th minute. Again the striker found space in the area, finishing clinically to make it 2-0 and send anxiety coursing through the away dugout. At that stage, Oviedo looked overwhelmed despite their superior technical profile.
The visitors slowly worked their way into the contest, helped by Levante’s willingness to sit deeper and protect their lead. Tempers began to fray as Eric Bailly was booked for a foul in the 38th minute, the first yellow card of the evening and a sign of growing frustration.
Oviedo’s response finally arrived on 44 minutes. Ilyas Chaira scored, assisted by Javi López, to halve the deficit. Chaira arrived from the left to meet López’s delivery and finish, dragging the score back to 2-1 and shifting the momentum just before the interval.
That swing became a full tilt in first-half stoppage time. In the 45th minute, Oviedo were awarded a penalty and Federico Viñas stepped up to convert, levelling the match at 2-2. The equaliser stunned the home crowd and underlined Levante’s fragility at the back. Moments later, deep into added time at 45+6', Alberto Reina went into the book, another yellow for Oviedo in a frantic close to the half.
Levante, however, emerged from the break with renewed purpose. On 52 minutes, Iker Losada scored, assisted by Kareem Tunde, to restore the hosts’ lead. Tunde slipped a clever pass into space and Losada, timing his run from midfield, finished decisively for 3-2, reasserting Levante’s attacking edge.
The first tactical reshuffle came from Levante on 61 minutes, when Pablo Martínez came on for Iker Losada, adding fresh legs in midfield. Oviedo responded with a triple change at 64': Santi Cazorla came on for Nicolas Fonseca, Haissem Hassan came on for Thiago Fernández, and Abdel Rahim came on for Javi López, as the visitors sought more creativity and width to chase the game.
On 70 minutes, Oviedo made a further change in the engine room, with Santiago Colombatto coming on for Kwasi Sibo. Levante, under pressure to protect their lead, began to pick up cards. Kareem Tunde was booked for a foul in the 71st minute, followed by Oriol Rey seeing yellow in the 74th as the hosts tried to disrupt Oviedo’s rhythm.
Levante then freshened their front line in the 75th minute. Paco Cortés came on for Kareem Tunde, and Iván Romero came on for Carlos Espí, removing the two key first-hour protagonists and asking the substitutes to finish the job. Oviedo’s veteran playmaker Cazorla soon found his way into the referee’s book, booked for a foul on 76 minutes as the contest grew increasingly scrappy.
With time running out, Oviedo made their fifth substitution on 80 minutes, Álex Forés coming on for Alberto Reina to add another attacking option. Four minutes later, Levante swapped wide options as Tai Abed came on for Víctor García in the 84th minute, while Oviedo’s final roll of the dice saw Pablo Agudín come on for Nacho Vidal at the same time.
Levante then tightened midfield in the 89th minute with a double change: Kervin Arriaga came on for Jon Ander Olasagasti, and Ugo Raghouber came on for Oriol Rey, signalling a clear intention to close the game out.
Instead, they found the cushion that definitively killed the contest. In the 90th minute, Iván Romero struck Levante’s fourth, capitalising on space in transition to make it 4-2 and secure three vital points.
Statistically, Oviedo might feel aggrieved. They dominated possession with 62% and completed 388 of 472 passes (82%), compared to Levante’s 203 of 283 (72%) and 38% of the ball. Yet Levante were far more incisive in both boxes, generating 20 total shots to Oviedo’s 10, with 8 shots on goal and 6 blocked efforts against the visitors’ 2 on target and 2 blocked.
The expected goals numbers underline the story: Levante’s 1.82 xG versus Oviedo’s 1.34 suggest the hosts slightly out-created their opponents, but their clinical finishing turned a tight game into a statement win. Remarkably, neither goalkeeper stood out statistically: Mathew Ryan recorded 0 saves with a goals_prevented figure of -1, while Aarón Escandell made 4 saves but also posted -1 goals_prevented, reflecting defensive lapses in front of both keepers.
For Levante, this high-scoring victory not only lifts them to 29 points but also boosts belief that survival remains possible, even if their goal difference remains a worrying -12. For Oviedo, rooted to the bottom on 21 points with a goal difference now at -32, this felt like a damaging missed opportunity in a direct relegation duel.
