Deportivovs
LevanteDeportivo had the win in their hands. Then, eight minutes from time, they didn't.
A 1-1 draw at Riazor on Friday left both clubs with more questions than answers. Our pre-match read had Deportivo as the 46% favorite, and for a good stretch of the second half that looked about right — until Levante found a way back.
A Game That Took Its Time
The first hour was largely forgettable. Both sides traded possession without much conviction, Levante edging the ball at 53.7% but rarely doing anything threatening with it. Deportivo's 17 fouls told the story of a team that was working hard defensively and not always elegantly.
Luismi Cruz picked up a yellow card in the 42nd minute — the kind of booking that comes from frustration more than malice — and Iván Romero had already been cautioned for Levante back in the 33rd. Neither side looked like they'd find a breakthrough before halftime, and they didn't.
Nsongo Opens the Door
Bil Nsongo changed the game in the 63rd minute. The goal itself came without a recorded assist, which usually means someone did something individual to earn it, and the Riazor crowd responded accordingly. Deportivo had their lead, and with Levante's recent form — two draws, two losses in their last four — it felt like it might hold.
Deportivo finished the match with 13 shots to Levante's 11, and five on target. They weren't dominant, but they were enough ahead of their visitors that a win felt plausible.
Ratkov Finds Requena
Qué manera de aguarle la fiesta. With eight minutes left, Petar Ratkov slipped a pass through to Dani Requena, who finished to make it 1-1. The timing was brutal for Deportivo. They'd defended well enough for long enough, and then one moment undid it.
Levante's goalkeeper had made four saves on the night, Deportivo's three — a match that was closer than the scoreline drama suggests, even if it took until the 82nd minute to feel that way.
Adrián de la Fuente was booked for Levante in the 89th minute, and Adrià Altimira followed in stoppage time for Deportivo — the kind of late cards that happen when a game slips away from one team and the other is trying to run the clock.
Verdict
Deportivo will feel this one. Their form reads W-L-W-L-D coming in, and a home draw against a Levante side that had lost two of their last four is not the result they needed. Levante, for their part, will take the point — though cabal, a draw on the road when you were trailing with ten minutes left is about the best version of a bad night.
The question now is whether either club can string together something resembling consistency. Right now, neither looks capable of it.
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