Wednesday May 11, 2011 Day 36 Finished Ciudad de Valencia

Levante UD 1 - 1 FC Barcelona

  • Caicedo 41’
  • Keita 28’

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  1. Guardiola hails Barca's toughest title

    Guardiola hails Barca's toughest title

    Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola and leading scorer Lionel Messi described their 2011 La Liga crown as the toughest of titles. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Levante UD
    • FC Barcelona
    • 90+1' FULL TIME! BARCELONA CLAIM THEIR THIRD SUCCESSIVE LA LIGA TITLE! It's been coming for some time, but Barcelona have finally got their hands on the Liga trophy again after a 1-1 draw here in Valencia. It's been a tough season for Pep Guardiola's side, and his team's focus can now switch to the Champions League final against Manchester United!
    • 89' The action on the pitch might be dreary, but that's not stopping the Barca fans kicking off the celebrations in the crowd!
    • 88' The fans are enjoying it too, as Barcelona continue to count down the clock. Mascherano passes to Pique deep in his own half, with Levante sitting back and watching
    • 87' The Barcelona bench is starting to buzz, with their teammates mere minutes away from claiming the league title!
    • 86' Not the happiest of matches for Villa, then, as his scoring drought continues.
    • 85' BARCA SUB: Villa off, Pedro on
    • 84' Levente aren't helping too much, either, sitting incredibly deep and just watching Barcelona pass the ball
    • 83' Mascherano with the ball at the back for Barca, passing right to Alves. Sideways, sideways, sideways, but it'll just about do the job for Barcelona!
    • 82' Pedro, meanwhile, is readying himself from the bench
    • 81' Barcelona showing absolutely no urgency to win this, continuing to pass the ball tamely across the halfway line
    • 80' LEVANTE SUB: Pallardo off, Larrea on
    • 79' The ball goes all the way back to Mascherano, and Barca look to build again
    • 78' Messi with the ball on the halfway line now, before passing sideways. Not the most entertaining football at the moment!
    • 77' Barca back on the ball, passing from right to left across the halfway line
    • 76' Busquets concedes a sloppy foul just inside Levante's half, and this match does just seem to be edging close to a draw!
    • 75' Off goes Levante's top goalscorer, then, to be replaced by their second-top goalscorer!
    • 74' LEVANTE SUB: Caicedo off, Stuani on
    • 73' Brilliant effort from the Argentine, and the shot took a slight deflection on its way out so it'll be a Barca corner
    • 72' Messi carries the ball inside from the right wing, jinking past three Levante shirts as he races along the edge of the box before cutting back and SHOOTING! JUST WIDE OF THE RIGHT POST!
    • 71' Barcelona regain possession though, and Messi finds Affelay on the right. Rather subdued atmosphere in this second half so far
    • 70' Flowing football from Levante, with Nadal cutting inside from the left wing and switching play to the right
    • 69' It's MESSI! Curled just over the bar with his left foot!
    • 68' Xavi and Messi stand over the ball, as Levante squabble over how many players to put in the wall...
    • 67' Affelay goes on a tremendous run along the right wing, skinning one man and then two, before Iborra scythes him down with a very late challenge. Yellow card, and a free kick just on the edge of the right side of the penalty area
    • 66' Caicedo tries to charge past Pique and reach another long ball forwards, but Pique hauls him back with a blatant tug of the shirt. Cue the first yellow card of the match
    • 65' Lovely period of play from Levante, passing confidently inside Barcelona's third. Xisco Nadal eventually swings a neat diagonal ball to the right of the box towards Caicedo, who goes down under a nothingy challenge from Fontas! Heart-in-mouth time for the young substitute, but the referee waves play on
    • 64' Valdo feeds the ball along the right channel for Caicedo to chase, before the Equadorian passes back along the right wing
    • 63' That's a decent run-out for Abidal then, ahead of the Champions League final. A very solid 60 minutes for the Frenchman, and he's replaced by a 21-year-old centre-half from the Barcelona B team
    • 62' BARCA SUB: Abidal off, Fontas on
    • 61' Valdo and Pique chase down a long ball down the right wing, but the Barcelona centre-back gets there first. Rather than pass back to Valdes, he holds the ball up on the line and pokes the ball back to Valdo! The Levante man is quickly closed down, but Pique is looking seriously out of sorts tonight!
    • 60' Xavi rolls the ball wide left to Abidal, who cuts back inside and returns the ball
    • 59' That would have been the goal of the season! Desperately unlucky for the Argentine, who hasn't scored for three league matches now
    • 58' Messi is back on the ball, with his back to goal and some 25 yards out. He dances past Ballesteros, Nando, before jinking into the area and SHOOTING! OFF THE INSIDE OF THE LEFT POST AND OUT!
    • 57' Alves carries the ball forwards again, before pinging a low ball across the edge of the area to Messi. The Argentine is given no change from the Levante defence, however, and is squeezed off the ball
    • 55' The corner is swung in towards the near stick... and headed clear by Abidal
    • 54' Juanfran takes on Alves in an advanced position along the left flank, and wins a corner from the Brazilian
    • 53' Taken short, and Affelay carries the ball across the edge of the box and SHOOTS! JUST WIDE OF THE RIGHT STICK! Vicious effort from the Dutchman, and only half a yard wide of the mark
    • 52' Barca move the ball to the right wing, and are awarded with a corner
    • 51' It's as you were in Valencia, then, with Levante happy to let Barcelona keep the ball in their own half, and the visitors seemingly content to take their time in possession
    • 50' Alves tries to exchange passes with Messi on the edge of the box, but the return ball is cut out. He's almost playing as a forward at the moment!
    • 49' Alves latches onto a fierce low ball into the box, and he almost manages to cut the ball back across goal to Messi but it just gets away from him! Terrific run from the Brazilian, regardless
    • 48' Afellay is bundled over by Iborra in the middle of the pitch, and Barca have a free kick
    • 47' The message from Pep Guardiola would have been pretty obvious at half-time: 'get out there and get the job done, then we can concentrate on Manchester United in the Champions League final'!
    • 46' Welcome back for the second half!
    • 45+2' HALF TIME! That's it for the first half, and it's been very, very postitive for Levante! Keita's stunning goal looked to have put Barca in the driving seat for their third straight Liga title, but some woeful defending from Pique has put Levante right back in the mixer! Join us in a few moments for part two of this enthralling encounter
    • 45+1' Affelay beats his man to the ball on the right wing, but his eventual ball into the box is nowhere near a green shirt
    • 45' Caicedo almost works a yard of space in the box, but Pique just about hacks the ball clear after help from Xavi. This Barcelona defence is looking increasingly wobbly, as half-time fast approaches
    • 44' The Argentine stands over the ball, and SHOOTS! JUST WIDE OF THE TOP-RIGHT CORNER! Lovely effort from Messi, but his compatriot Munua might just have had it covered
    • 43' Messi takes matters into his own hands, and draws a cheap foul from Ballesteros some 25 yards from goal
    • 42' We're all-square at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, then, and to say that Pique looks sheepish would be a vast, vast understatement
    • 41' GOOOOOAL! CAICEDO LEVELS FOR LEVANTE AFTER A DEFENSIVE HORROR-SHOW FROM BARCA! A long ball goes straight over Pique's head, with Caicedo chasing him from behind. Pique opts to let the ball bounce, before miskicking it entirely and knocking the ball beyond the on-rushing Valdes. Caicedo collects it, and taps the ball into the empty net. Embarrassing goal for Pep Guardiola's men!
    • 40' Pique holds the ball up on the edge of the centre-circle, under absolutely no pressure from the Levante players
    • 39' Xavi pings another cross-field ball to Villa on the left of the box, who picks out Messi in the middle. The Argentine has his back to goal, and is forced to pass back to Villa on the left corner of the penalty area. Villa SHOOTS! A couple of yards wide of the far post
    • 38' Abidal with the ball on the left wing for Barca, before passing back. Messi keeps the ball with a delightful touch, before playing the ball forwards
    • 37' Busquets fires a lovely long diagonal for Villa to chase along the left wing, but Javi Venta barges in with an effective challenge to swipe the ball away. He's not done much wrong so far tonight, the Levante fullback
    • 36' Xavi goes for another Hollywood long ball into the box, but this time Ballesteros reads it and heads clear ahead of Messi
    • 35' Busquets nicks in ahead of Valdo with a slightly high boot on the edge of the Levante box, and the referee blows his whistle for a foul
    • 34' Xavi with the ball in the middle, before picking out Affelay on the right wing, whose cross into the box is cut out
    • 33' Villa brings down a high ball to the left wing, but Venta comes in with a solid challenge to knock the ball out for a throw-in
    • 31' Nervy defending from Barca, and Abidal's challenge leap again Caicedo could easily have conceded a penalty on another day! A slice of luck for the champions in waiting...
    • 30' Juanfran lifts a ball into the box from the left wing, which Caicedo almosts gets a head on! Abidal just gets there first, but his header only Valdo at the far stick. Valdo SHOOTS! Blocked wide by Pique!
    • 29' Brilliant pass from Xavi, stunning header from Keita. Levante need two goals to quell Barcelona's title celebrations now!
    • 28' GOOOOAL! KEITA GIVES BARCA THE LEAD WITH A SUBLIME HEADER! That's an absolute stunner. Xavi drifts a sensational long-range pass into the box from the right channel, which Keita pings into the top left corner of the goal with his head from the edge of the box. Brilliant goal
    • 27' Barca back in possession in middle once again, passing across the middle of the park
    • 26' The free kick is curled just past the right post, but Munua has it covered
    • 25' Messi shows unbelievably quick feet as he dances through a couple of sloppy challenges, before the referee blows his whistle for a foul
    • 24' Villa tries to jink his way into the left side of the area, but Valdo and Venta double up on him and the ball bounces clear to Abidal out wide
    • 23' Affelay tries to shake off Javi Venta on the left wing, but the experienced defender nips in to concede a throw
    • 22' Villa gets a nice nod down on a lovely long ball over the top, but once again the Spanish striker is flagged offside. Marginal, that one
    • 21' Valdes seemed to have that one covered, but it's the closest either side has come to scoring after 20 minutes of this match
    • 20' The long throw is headed clear of the box by Mascherano, but only as far as Xavi Torres WHO SHOOTS ON THE VOLLEY! JUST WIDE OF THE LEFT POST!
    • 19' Caicedo holds the ball up on the left wing, under pressure from Pique. The centre-back pokes the ball out of play, conceding a throw
    • 18' Barcelona back on the ball, and moving it swiftly inside their own half. Comfortably over 70% possession for the Catalans so far, I'd say!
    • 17' Xisco Nadal reaches the edge of the box, and SHOOTS! Poor effort, wide of the left post. He's not scored in 14 months - and it's not too hard to see why after that effort!
    • 16' Messi dances through a couple of challenges up the right channel, but his early cross is blocked by Torres. The ball drops back to Messi, but he's squeezed off it and Levante can counter!
    • 15' Messi pings a lovely crossfield ball to the left wing, where Abidal meets it. The French fullback swings in a cross, which is headed clear. The ball is then looped back over the top of the defence for Alves to chase, but Villa is presumably judged to be interfering with play and is flagged offside
    • 14' Barcelona back in the comfort zone - dictating possession and keeping the ball around the halfway line
    • 13' Direct football from Levante, and those are the best two chances of the match so far! Alves chases down a lovely long ball up the right wing, but two attempts to cross are both smothered by the on-rushing leftback
    • 12' The ball is swept back into the box from the right wing, but this time Valdo's header goes straight into the arms of Valdes
    • 11' Caicedo beats Pique on the left, and swings in a cross to VALDO! The striker completely fluffs his header, which trickles off to the right wing
    • 10' Valdez pings a tremendous ball forwards to Messi, who brings it under control expertly on the half-way line. Lovely stuff, but it's all in the centre of the park at the moment
    • 9' An uncharacteristically sloppy pass from Busquets flies off ahead of Affelay, before Abidal sweeps up and knocks the ball wide for a throw
    • 8' The free kick is lofted into the box rather aimlessly, and headed clear. Affelay tries to counter along the left wing, but he's barged off his feet for Barca's first free kick of the match
    • 7' Levante finally string a couple of passes together, before Caicedo carries the ball out of the centre-circle and draws a clumsy challenge from Mascherano. Free kick
    • 6' Keita almost gets caught on the ball on the halfway line, but he manages to stab the ball back into his own half. Steady start from the Champions League finalists
    • 5' Barca with the ball at the back, before Mascherano passes forwards to Abidal
    • 4' Xavi exchanges passes with Keita, before picking out Abidal wide left
    • 3' Barcelona play the ball across the halfway line, as Levante appear happy to sit back and watch before the ball enters their third
    • 2' Prepare yourselves for a shock: Barcelona are in control of the possession early on. Messi tries to find Affelay with a low diagonal to the left channel, but the Dutch winger slips as he collects the ball
    • 1' We're underway in Valencia! Barcelona playing in their mint green change strip, as they search for a point to secure their 21st league title
    • 18:58 Levante won't roll over tonight, as a point for the hosts would all but seal their Liga survival. Click here for the full Liga table
    • 18:55 Pretty much a full-strength Barcelona side tonight, then, though birthday-boy Andres Iniesta and Pedro are given a rest tonight
    • 18:55 BARCELONA: Valdes, Dani Alves, Abidal, Pique, Mascherano, Xavi, Keita, Afellay, Busquets, Messi, and Villa. Subs: Andreu Fontas, Iniesta, Jeffren, Marc Bartra, Pedro, Pinto, Thiago
    • 18:55 LEVANTE: Munua, Javi Venta, Nano, Juanfran, Ballesteros, Pallardo, Iborra, Xavi Torres, Valdo, Xisco Nadal, Caicedo. Subs: Stuani, Cerra, Hector Rodas, Montero, Larrea, Manolo Reina, and Ruben Suarez
    • 18:50 Tonight's the big one for Barca - a single point will see the Catalan giants finally seal the defence of their La Liga title!
    • 18:45 Good afternoon and welcome to LIVE text commentary of Barcelona's trip to Levante!

  • Summary

    • 90+1' FULL TIME! BARCELONA CLAIM THEIR THIRD SUCCESSIVE LA LIGA TITLE! It's been coming for some time, but Barcelona have finally got their hands on the Liga trophy again after a 1-1 draw here in Valencia. It's been a tough season for Pep Guardiola's side, and his team's focus can now switch to the Champions League final against Manchester United!
    • 72' Messi carries the ball inside from the right wing, jinking past three Levante shirts as he races along the edge of the box before cutting back and SHOOTING! JUST WIDE OF THE RIGHT POST!
    • 69' It's MESSI! Curled just over the bar with his left foot!
    • 58' Messi is back on the ball, with his back to goal and some 25 yards out. He dances past Ballesteros, Nando, before jinking into the area and SHOOTING! OFF THE INSIDE OF THE LEFT POST AND OUT!
    • 53' Taken short, and Affelay carries the ball across the edge of the box and SHOOTS! JUST WIDE OF THE RIGHT STICK! Vicious effort from the Dutchman, and only half a yard wide of the mark
    • 44' The Argentine stands over the ball, and SHOOTS! JUST WIDE OF THE TOP-RIGHT CORNER! Lovely effort from Messi, but his compatriot Munua might just have had it covered
    • 41' GOOOOOAL! CAICEDO LEVELS FOR LEVANTE AFTER A DEFENSIVE HORROR-SHOW FROM BARCA! A long ball goes straight over Pique's head, with Caicedo chasing him from behind. Pique opts to let the ball bounce, before miskicking it entirely and knocking the ball beyond the on-rushing Valdes. Caicedo collects it, and taps the ball into the empty net. Embarrassing goal for Pep Guardiola's men!
    • 30' Juanfran lifts a ball into the box from the left wing, which Caicedo almosts gets a head on! Abidal just gets there first, but his header only Valdo at the far stick. Valdo SHOOTS! Blocked wide by Pique!
    • 28' GOOOOAL! KEITA GIVES BARCA THE LEAD WITH A SUBLIME HEADER! That's an absolute stunner. Xavi drifts a sensational long-range pass into the box from the right channel, which Keita pings into the top left corner of the goal with his head from the edge of the box. Brilliant goal
    • 20' The long throw is headed clear of the box by Mascherano, but only as far as Xavi Torres WHO SHOOTS ON THE VOLLEY! JUST WIDE OF THE LEFT POST!
    • 18:55 BARCELONA: Valdes, Dani Alves, Abidal, Pique, Mascherano, Xavi, Keita, Afellay, Busquets, Messi, and Villa. Subs: Andreu Fontas, Iniesta, Jeffren, Marc Bartra, Pedro, Pinto, Thiago
    • 18:55 LEVANTE: Munua, Javi Venta, Nano, Juanfran, Ballesteros, Pallardo, Iborra, Xavi Torres, Valdo, Xisco Nadal, Caicedo. Subs: Stuani, Cerra, Hector Rodas, Montero, Larrea, Manolo Reina, and Ruben Suarez

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Levante UD

    Manager: Luis García Plaza

  • FC Barcelona

    Manager: Josep Guardiola

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

    • Starting line-up

      • G. Munúa
      • Javi Venta
      • S. Ballesteros
      • Nano
      • Juanfrán
      • V. Iborra Yellow Card
      • Xavi Torres
      • Valdo
      • M. Pallardó Substitution Out (81′)
      • Xisco Nadal
      • F. Caicedo Goal Substitution Out (75′)

      Subs

      • M. Reina
      • G. Larrea Substitution In81′
      • J. Montero
      • Cerra
      • H. Rodas
      • Rubén Suárez
      • C. Stuani Substitution In75′

    • Starting line-up

      • Víctor Valdés
      • Dani Alves
      • J. Mascherano
      • G. Piqué Yellow Card
      • E. Abidal Substitution Out (62′)
      • S. Busquets
      • Xavi
      • S. Keita Goal
      • D. Villa Substitution Out (86′)
      • I. Afellay
      • L. Messi

      Subs

      • J. Pinto
      • A. Iniesta
      • A. Fontàs Substitution In62′
      • Jeffrén
      • Thiago
      • Pedro Substitution In86′
      • M. Bartra

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      - -
      Defenders
      - -
      - -
      - -
      - -
      Midfielders
      Yellow Card - -
      - -
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      Substitution Out81′ - -
      - -
      Strikers
      Goal Substitution Out75′ - -
      Subs
      Substitution In81′ - -
      Substitution In75′ - -
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      - -
      Defenders
      - -
      - -
      Yellow Card - -
      Substitution Out62′ - -
      Midfielders
      - -
      - -
      Goal - -
      Strikers
      Substitution Out86′ - -
      - -
      3 -
      Subs
      Substitution In62′ - -
      Substitution In86′ - -

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