Football Update: Barcelona vs. Levante – Match Review (Part 1)
The Spanish Champions were to face an “underdog” La Liga side at the Nou Camp as Levante came to Barcelona to play the Catalan Giants in the first league game of the year 2011. Josep Guardiola made sure that his men are in good shape despite the fact that
many were missing from the starting line-up.
Barcelona started their New Year with a hard win over Levante. The opponents looked to be easy on paper but they were very tough on the field. However, with the help of the Spanish youngster Pedro Rodriguez, Barcelona emerged victorious to record their 11th
consecutive win in the Spanish La Liga. It was simply a one-man-show the way Pedro took over on the right wing and decided to dictate play. The youngster scored a brace in the second half to make sure that his side remain at the top of the table and continue
to put their pressure on the Los Blancos. Even though it was Pedro Rodriguez who scored a brace in the Nou Camp, the fans were there to see Xavi Hernandez who actually managed to beat the record of Migueli – the player who appeared in a Barcelona shirt for
the highest number of times. However, the Spanish maestro managed to draw the number of appearances with the former legend and now both of them have play 529 games apiece and definitely the next game that Xavi is going to play, it is going to go down in the
history of the La Blaugrana.
The Spanish Champions often struggle after returning from the Christmas break and they simply showed that they still do even though they have such a great team. However, even with a relatively bad performance, they secured a well fought win. In an uncomfortable
affair, Barcelona failed to find the net in the first half. When the second half started, Barcelona’s style of play totally changed as made most of the players made great runs forward and soon it was Pedro Rodriguez who found the net for the first time during
the game to make it 1-0 for the home team. The Spanish youngster was able to score two goals in thirteen minutes. Later, during the 80th minute Stuani scored a goal for Levante and that totally changed the game to a nail-biting occasion. However,
the Spanish Champions made sure that they did not lose out on the back and defended fabulously to keep the lead intact. With this win, Barcelona were able to continue their 11-consecutive-victory run.
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