Levante 3-2 Elche
If Levante manager Luis Castro deserved a degree of eye-rolling for calling their 21st game of the 38-game season the final, there was no denying it was significant. Under the Friday night lights with a huge crowd, his side were six points clear of arch-rivals Valencia, and safety. At home, in another regional derby against Elche, our newly promoted partners, it felt like a big game.
The fans responded, and every attack was met with rapturous applause and tension. Karl Etta Eyong almost connected with a cross clipped in from close range, Carlos Alvarez attempted a spectacular overhead kick, and Isaac Romero curled a low shot past Inaki Pena’s goal – they were given plenty to cheer about.
However, among the forwards, Elche first warned with Grady Diangana’s whistle clearing the post, before Alvaro Rodriguez pulled out his silencer in the 11th minute. German Valera and Aleix Febas exchanged passes in the inside left channel, Febas sliding the ball into the middle of the box. His pass was deflected, however, and Rodriguez had the sense to realize that with his first touch he could have hit the ball around the middle of the back, finishing with the second.
Elche were nowhere near comfortable defensively as Levante tried to keep the tempo up, not that they were splitting Levante open going forward, but they worked hard and with confidence. When David Affengruber failed to clear the cross, Etta Eyong did not show the composure shown by Rodriguez, burning without fuel, even under pressure. The Cameroon striker, who started his second game back after the Afcon, looked out of sorts with his team-mates, spreading groans around the Ciutat de Valencia stadium.
Levante pokes Elche’s midfield designs
That confidence fell over the line though, and Elche will feel guilty as Levante had to settle for an equaliser. Just five minutes after the break, Jeremy Toljan headed in a hopeful cross from the right. To everyone’s surprise, Pablo Martinez had wandered into the six-yard box completely unmarked, and got enough of a cross to sneak past Pena.
In addition to throwing something away with the way the game was played, there was a pendulum of confidence on the field. Alvarez curled one over the bar after Theo Petrot was caught in the ball, a sign of Levante’s increasing disruption to Elche’s build-up.
Elche had a comfortable ball in their half, when Levante showed them down, and Carlos Alvarez beat Petrot in the ball, and scored for Etta Eyong. With the goal gap closed, Inaki Pena produced a stunning save, before Ivan Romero fired a shot past Etta Eyong and beyond.
When the crowd recovered from the shock of the ball being out of the net, they gave them a roar of encouragement, and less than a minute later, Adrian de la Fuente gave them another chance to roar. Stepping up to meet the set-piece, he slotted it into the corner to give Levante a deserved lead with 20 minutes remaining.
The game had changed due to Levante’s isolation in the midfield of Elche, playing four very young players and two midfielders behind them to set things up. Unable to find a way around or above Castro’s masterplan, Los Granotas managed to fight their way. Rodriguez had left the game for Elche, and lacked a point as they reached the bottom third.
FINAAAAAAL
EN EL
CIUTAAAAAT🐸⚔️🐸⚔️🐸#LevanteUD 3-2 @elchecf #LevanteUDelche pic.twitter.com/HX2R92wyGd
– Levante UD (@LevanteUD) January 23, 2026
It looked like Levante had done their job, but Elche had one last throw of the dice. A cross from the left was met by Alex Sanchez, before youngster Adam Boayar’s header found a corner, breaking Levante’s hearts.
This is the only Castro-powered Levante made of solid materials. When the crowd cried out, Levante found themselves with two corners in a row. The second, in the 95th minute, was blocked at the near post by Alan Matturro and put into the far corner, clearing the roof.
A tough week of training awaits Elche’s players, with Eder Sarabia already paying the price in a furious manner, as he picks up the pieces for a fifth consecutive game without a win.
‘Yes we can’ chanted Ciutat de Valencia after the game, and Levante still have reason to believe they can. Under Castro, Los Granotas have won twice and drawn their opening four games, and are now three points adrift of safety. The Portugal boss has given his team the tools to get themselves into games, and his squad have shown they have the character to turn that into points.
