Yamal's Brace Helps Barcelona Survive Levante Scare to Stay Perfect in La Liga

Barcelona survived a nervy finish to beat Levante 4-2 away from home, with a Lamine Yamal brace helping the league leaders make it five wins from five to open their La Liga title defence.

Barcelona flew out of the blocks, with 19-year-old Xavi Espart scoring his first senior goal just five minutes in, driving home from the edge of the box after a slick passing move. Yamal doubled the lead in the 19th minute, tapping in after Raphinha dribbled past the goalkeeper, before the winger struck again shortly after the restart, converting a penalty won by his own driving run to make it 3-0. With the game seemingly settled, Hansi Flick made changes at the hour mark, resting both Yamal and Pedri.

Levante refused to fold, however, hitting back through Ivan Romero after an Espart error, before Roger Brugue burst through to make it 3-2 and set up a tense finish. Karim Adeyemi settled matters in stoppage time, beating a defender with a backheel before finishing calmly to complete the scoring.

The win takes Barcelona to a perfect 15 points from five matches, three clear of Real Madrid in second, who beat Rayo Vallecano earlier in the day. Barcelona's winning run now extends to six matches across all competitions, with Racing Santander up next at Camp Nou on Wednesday.