Barcelona's comeback against Levante 3-2 | La Liga Player Ratings and Highlights

The reigning champions recovered from a poor first half to secure their second consecutive La Liga victory.

Second-half goals from Pedri and Ferran Torres helped Barcelona overturn a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 against Levante in La Liga on Saturday. The champions deservedly trailed thanks to a goal from Iván Romero and a penalty from José Luis Morales, with the hosts unlucky not to score more.

However, Barcelona came out firing in the second half, with a stunning long-range strike from Pedri and a close-range finish from Torres leveling the score. And in the dying moments of the match, Levante defender Unai Elgezabal headed into his own net after a dangerous cross from Lamine Yamal, completing Barcelona's dramatic comeback.

He rates the Barcelona players from the Ciutat de Valencia Stadium…

Goalkeeper and Defense

Joan Garcia (6/10):
The goalkeeper was unable to prevent either goal. However, he made a couple of good saves to prevent Levante from scoring more.

Eric Garcia (4/10):
He and his fellow defenders started well, leaving Levante offside several times, but their solidity quickly crumbled afterward.

Ronald Araujo (4/10):
Like Garcia, Araujo and Barcelona's offside trap were in good form early on, but Levante soon overtook them and were unlucky not to score more than two goals.

Pau Cubarsi (4/10):
The center back, arms behind his back, wasn't aggressive enough when Romero dribbled past him to put the home side ahead in the 15th minute.

Alejandro Balde (4/10):
A difficult night for the left-back. Shortly after receiving a yellow card, the 21-year-old conceded the penalty for Levante's second goal after the ball hit his wrist inside the box.

Midfield

Pedri (8/10):
Easily Barcelona's best player. He was unlucky not to register an assist when Torres hit the crossbar after his delightful through ball, before his long-range shot started Barcelona's comeback.

Marc Casado (4/10):
Returning to Barcelona's midfield, he was easily outplayed in the build-up to Levante's first goal before being substituted at halftime.

Attack

Lamine Yamal (7/10):
He looked a threat whenever he could cut inside with his left foot, and his late cross led to the last-gasp winner that sealed Barcelona's comeback.

Raphinha (7/10):
The Brazilian international headed wide on a good opportunity in the first half. However, he grew into the match, converting a superb corner that led to Barcelona's equalizer.

Marcus Rashford (4/10):
The striker looked sharp at first, combining well with Balde on the left flank, but his influence soon waned. He was substituted during the halftime break.

Ferran Torres (7/10):
The former Manchester City player should have scored in the first half, but instead hit the crossbar. However, he redeemed himself after the break, turning in Raphinha's corner to equalize.

Substitutes and Coach

Jules Kounde (6/10):
He had a chance to win the game for Barcelona before Elgezabal's own goal, but his shot went just wide of the far post.

Andreas Christensen (6/10):
The defender was introduced late in the second half as Barcelona searched for the winning goal. He looked confident, giving coach Hansi Flick plenty to think about for the future.

Gavi (6/10):
He came off the bench for the second half and gave Barcelona more attacking momentum. A solid performance from the 21-year-old.

Dani Olmo (6/10):
Like Gavi, he injected much-needed energy into Barcelona's play in the second half. A good substitution from Flick and a fine performance from Olmo.

Robert Lewandowski (5/10):
The striker received little attention after coming off the bench. He was convinced he should have earned a penalty for his team in the second half, but the Polish star's protests were dismissed.

Hansi Flick (5/10):
Perhaps the decision to start with Casado was wrong in the end. However, the German was absolutely right with his halftime talk, as Barcelona scored two quick goals after the break to put Barcelona on the path to a comeback.