Unprecedented event: Barcelona crush Levante 79-0 in unbelievable fashion
What's the story?
Xavi Espart has kept making notable strides at the start of his time with Barcelona's first team, scoring his first goals in the club's shirt in the win over Levante during the fifth round of the Spanish league. The moment underlined Hansi Flick's faith once more, the coach having handed the youngster an advanced role in his system this season.
The goal arrived just 4 minutes and 7 seconds in, and it laid bare Barcelona's total command of the ball. The players strung together 79 consecutive passes involving everyone in the side before it reached Espart inside the penalty area. Levante managed to break up the sequence on only three occasions, and each one ended with Barcelona winning the ball straight back.
Espart made his fourth start of the opening five rounds after switching from left-back to something resembling a fifth midfielder in Flick's setup. He has become one of the team's biggest surprises this season, leapfrogging João Cancelo in the coach's thinking, while Alejandro Baldé has yet to feature.
A calm build-up from the back set everything in motion. Rodri carried the ball forward and slid a vertical pass through the middle to Raphinha, then it went through Fermín, back briefly to the Brazilian winger, and out to Espart on the edge of the box.
The young man wasted no time exploiting the space in front of him. He struck it calmly with his right foot and nestled the ball at the base of the post, putting Barcelona a goal up in the fifth minute. It was a moment he had waited for since his first appearance with the first team.
This was no simple finish to a slick move. It capped a long string of passes that showed Barcelona's ability to keep the ball under pressure.
Every Barcelona player touched it during the sequence. Levante never truly won it back, save for three attempts that each returned possession to the Catalans' feet.
By the analysis of the goal, that dominance was broken just once in the opening minutes, when the referee whistled for an offside in Levante's favour in the first minute. Barcelona then regained control and kept circulating the ball until the moment arrived that ended with Espart's strike and the opening goal.
