BARCELONA, SPAIN — Spotify Camp Nou was a picture of one-sided authority on Sunday as second-placed Barcelona dismantled a beleaguered Levante side 3-0, with Frenkie de Jong, Fermín López, and Raphinha all finding the net in a performance that underlined the gulf between a title contender and a club fighting desperately to avoid the drop. Barcelona dominated the ball with 72.7% possession, pinning Levante back for long stretches and launching 22 shots at goal compared to Levante's five, though only the heroics of Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan kept the scoreline from becoming truly embarrassing.
The opening goal arrived with just four minutes on the clock, and it came from an unlikely source. Marc Bernal, operating with composure beyond his years in the Barcelona midfield, collected a corner delivery from Eric García and drilled a right-footed effort from the centre of the box into the centre of the goal to give the hosts an immediate advantage. The early strike set the tone for an evening of relentless Blaugrana pressure, and Levante barely had time to gather themselves before Barcelona were probing again.
Mathew Ryan was called into action on multiple occasions before the half-hour mark, denying Raphinha with a sharp stop in the 8th minute after the Brazilian cut inside and fired from close range. The Australian shot-stopper was the busiest man on the pitch, and his reflexes kept Levante's deficit manageable as Barcelona's pressure yielded 13 corners across the ninety minutes. Levante did threaten briefly — Jon Olasagasti latched onto Iván Romero's through ball in the 15th minute and tested Joan García with a left-footed effort from the centre of the box, but the Barcelona goalkeeper held firm to preserve the lead.
The second goal, when it came, was a moment of genuine quality. In the 32nd minute, João Cancelo delivered a precise cross from the right flank, and Frenkie de Jong arrived with perfect timing to rifle a right-footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner. It was a goal that reflected the Dutchman's growing influence in this Barcelona side — intelligent movement, clinical execution, and the kind of composure that separates top-level midfielders from the rest.
The second half brought more of the same. Barcelona launched wave after wave of attacks, with Robert Lewandowski testing Ryan from outside the box in the 53rd minute — the goalkeeper again equal to the task, pushing the Pole's right-footed drive to safety. Dani Olmo followed suit in the 58th minute, his shot from the centre of the box well-saved by the increasingly busy Ryan. Lamine Yamal was a constant menace down the right flank, drawing fouls and creating openings, while Raphinha and Lewandowski combined to stretch Levante's defensive shape to breaking point.
The triple substitution in the 66th minute — Pedri for Bernal, Fermín López for Olmo, and Ferran Torres for Lewandowski — injected fresh legs and immediately paid dividends. Fermín López, on the pitch for barely fifteen minutes, made his mark in the 81st minute when he collected a corner delivery worked short by Lamine Yamal and drove a left-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner. It was a composed, technically excellent finish that capped a fine cameo from the young Spaniard.
Raphinha then added gloss to the scoreline in the 89th minute, meeting Roony Bardghji's cross with a powerful header that Ryan could only push into the net from the top centre of the goal — the goalkeeper's sixth save of the evening, though this time unable to keep it out.
The statistics told the full story of Barcelona's dominance: 22 shots to Levante's five, nine on target to two, and 13 corners to seven. Levante's goalkeeper was called into action six times, a heroic individual performance in an otherwise chastening evening for the visitors. Marc Bernal's yellow card in the 59th minute was a minor blemish on an otherwise controlled Barcelona display, while Levante's single booking added little drama to a contest that was settled long before the final whistle.
Confidence is surging through Barcelona's squad ahead of their trip to Deportivo La Coruña on March 15, while Levante, rooted in 19th place on just 18 points, must regroup quickly before hosting Alavés on February 27 in a fixture that could prove pivotal to their survival hopes.
