Barcelona took advantage of Real Madrid's fall to Osasuna to return to the top of the Spanish League with a three-time win over Levante, while Villarreal strengthened its third position and Sevilla achieved a valuable victory away from home in the struggle for survival.

Published on: 02/23/2026 - 00:27 Last updated: 02/23/2026 - 07:27

Barcelona regained the top spot in the Spanish Football League after defeating its guest Levante 3-0 in the 25th round, taking advantage of Real Madrid's loss to Osasuna 1-2, which opened the way for it to return to the top after only one week of losing it.

This shift at the top came after Barcelona had relinquished the lead in the previous round after losing to Girona 1-2, while Real Madrid was unable to hold on to it and in turn fell to Osasuna with a fatal goal, leaving the point difference this time in favor of its Catalan rival.

German coach Hansi Flick's team did not let the opportunity go to waste, clinching the three points against a competitor who had no win in Barcelona's stronghold through 23 previous visits in various competitions, raising its score to 61 points, one point ahead of Real Madrid, and leaving Levante in a complicated position at 18 points in nineteenth place.

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Barcelona started the match strong when young Marc Bernal opened the scoring after less than five minutes, taking advantage of Eric Garcia's cross, before explaining to Movistar that he was "very happy with the three points and to help the team with this goal," noting that his early goal gave his teammates calm and confidence after Levante had a dangerous opportunity in the first minute, and referring to his return after an injury that sidelined him for more than a year.

Then the hosts gradually regained the initiative after a period of decline that allowed Levante to threaten Joan Garcia's goal, and Dutchman Frankie de Jong added the second goal with a first-touch shot following a perfect cross from the brilliant Portuguese Joao Cancelo, who was also a partner in the first goal, before substitute Fermin Lopes decided the result permanently in the 81st minute with a missile shot from outside the area that hit the left post and entered the net, despite the Catalans' control amounting to about 75%. In the second half.

In the rest of the round's results, Villarreal strengthened its third place by converting from behind against Valencia to a 2-1 victory, and Celta Vigo achieved an important victory over Real Mallorca 2-0 with late goals from the brilliant Iago Aspas, while Sevilla returned with a valuable 1-0 victory from Getafe Stadium, taking advantage of its host's numerical deficiency since the 26th minute, raising its score to 29 points in eleventh place temporarily, directly ahead of Getafe. Five points ahead of the relegation positions.

France 24/AFP

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