K. Benzema has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Rodrygo.
BENZEMA GETS HIS FIRST OF THE SEASON! With the last kick of the game he runs through on goal after an incisive pass from Rodrygo, and beats Fernandez easily! 2-0 at the death!
Rodrygo split the Levante defence, who were camped on the halfway line pushing for an equaliser. It's a fantastic throughball - and the assist for the goal!
90' +3
Jorge Miramón gets yellow.
Miramon is shown a yellow for a foul on Rodrygo.
90' +1
The fourth official indicates a total of five minutes of stoppage time.
89'
Isco enters the game and replaces L. Modrić.
M. Ødegaard enters the game and replaces F. Valverde.
Odegaard is in for Valverde as the match winds down.
Modric gets an early rest as Isco makes his entrance.
87'
Madrid haven't won the match yet as they press high in order to win the ball back - weary of the threat of their opponents. The hosts have certainly acquitted themselves well in the second half but it doesn't seem enough to make up for a poor first 45.
85'
Only Celta Vigo’s Nolito (12) has attempted more shots without scoring than Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema (11) in LaLiga this season before the start of play today.
83'
Benzema tries to curl an effort towards goal but again there is a defender in the way to block the shot. The loose ball falls to Rodrygo, but he’s dispossessed disappointingly.
81'
Vazquez lifts the ball towards the Levante penalty spot in search of Benzema, but a heroic diving header clears Fernandez’s area.
79'
Bardhi again gets a crack at goal with a shot on the bounce, but again he doesn’t force Courtois to move his feet in order to make a comfortable stop.
Minute
Description
75'
Bardhi cuts to the byline and lifts a cross in towards the six-yard box, but Courtois is quick off his line to make the catch.
73'
N. Radoja enters the game and replaces M. Malsa.
Malsa's busy match has come to an end as Radoja will see out the final 17 minutes.
72'
E. Bardhi gets yellow.
Vazquez's first action in the match is unpleasant as he's brought to the ground by a tough Bardhi challenge. It's a yellow card for the Levante winger.
69'
Rodrygo enters the game and replaces Marco Asensio.
Dani Gómez enters the game and replaces José Luis Morales.
Lucas Vázquez enters the game and replaces Vinícius Júnior.
The second alteration is also in attack, where Vinicius is replaced by Vazquez.
Real Madrid make their first two changes of the match, the first seeing Asensio go off for Rodrygo.
68'
Morales makes way for Gomez as Levante continue to search for an equaliser.
67'
Malsa dives into a challenge on Asensio, giving Real Madrid a free-kick in a good position to cross.
65'
Levante are showing signs of promise for the first time in the match, with an extended period of pressure that has forced a couple of fine stops from Courtois. Madrid weren’t able to capitalise more than once in their hour of ascendancy, which has left the hosts believing a result is possible.
63'
Levante get a quick chance to test Courtois again as De Frutos lays it off for Morales. The striker sends his shot low and ultimately into the side netting, but he feels his side should have been given a corner.
59'
Campana’s corner is taken to the near post, but the flick-on isnt a good one. The ball squeezes out of the box but falls to Bardhi, who forces a second save in as many minutes out of Courtois - this time the goalkeeper using his legs to make the block.
57'
Bardhi unleashes a furious shot which forces a confident punch out of Courtois, who didn’t have to move his feet to make the save.
55'
Jorge de Frutos enters the game and replaces Roger.
Gonzalo Melero enters the game and replaces N. Vukčević.
Marti makes way for Melero in Levante's first switch of the game.
De Frutos replaces Vukcevic as Levante opt for two alterations at once.
50'
Modric sprints across to intercept a dangerous bouncing pass on the edge of the Levante 18-yard box, but the referee immediately blows his whistle for handball on the Croatia international.
48'
Modric’s corner is flicked out of the 18-yard box by a Levante player, only to have it fall at the feet of Mendy. His second effort is a good one sent to the far post, but the hosts are able to pick up possession and bring it back into midfield, clearing their lines.
46'
Levante get the match restarted from the kick-off!
45' +2
HALF-TIME: LEVANTE 0-1 REAL MADRID.
45'
The fourth official indicates one minute will be added to the first half for stoppages.
44'
A Levante corner is taken short and then centred to Miramon, only for the left-back to send his shot high and wide unconvincingly.
42'
Asensio looks to turn the corner and sprint down the right touchline, but Clerc is forced to bring him down and give away a free-kick near the midfield line. The full-back avoids a card, but it’s a cynical challenge.
38'
Nacho and Valverde link up well down the right, but the final pass into space for Asensio is poor as Ruben Vezo is able to get to the ball first and win back possession.
35'
Modric floats a corner into the penalty area, but a coming-together in the middle of the penalty area leaves Madrid a man down to attack the aerial ball - allowing Levante to clear.
33'
Straight after the chance, Real Madrid storm down towards the other end and win a corner of their own, but it comes to nothing as Varane nods it wide of the target.
29'
Campana takes a Levante corner, but it clatters off the first man and comes back to him. A second effort is hoisted in, only to be repelled and sent out for another set-piece.
27'
Levante are enjoying a spell of possession in Real Madrid’s half, but they aren’t looking likely to penetrate. After a quick bit of ball movement, a pass is chipped over for Marti, but he’s unable to beat Mendy to it as the left-back shields it out of play.
23'
A great attack down the left comes to nothing as Vinicius’ final ball across the face of goal went unmet. A tackle high up the pitch from Nacho looks promising, but the follow-through only sends it into the arms of the goalkeeper.
21'
Modric’s corner sails over the waiting heads in the penalty area to the far side for Vinicius, who collects it and fires back into the penalty area - only for the keeper to collect.
19'
It’s been an ideal opening 20 minutes for Real Madrid, who have controlled the flow of the match and found the breakthrough. The goal will definitely force the hosts to come forward in search of an equaliser at some point, which should leave gaps at the back and open up the match.
17'
Levante look to hit immediately with a ball played over the top for Morales, but the striker finds himself in an offside position, which the linesman notices immediately.
16'
Vinícius Júnior has scored a goal for Real Madrid!
REAL MADRID OPEN THE SCORING! It’s a second LaLiga goal of the season for Vinicius, who finds himself in possession on the left side of the penalty area after Modric’s corner was met by a flick-on, and dispatches a lovely curler that beats Fernandez! 1-0!
14'
Courtois is forced to play the ball to the edge of his penalty area with his feet after receiving a pass and finding little in the way of options. A weak pass through the heart of midfield allows Levante a chance to pounce, but the Madrid defence collapses on it well.
12'
A promising Real Madrid attack is brought to an abrupt halt by the referee, who deems that Benzema used his arm to control a bouncing pass on the edge of the Levante area, allowing the hosts to clear their lines from a free-kick.
10'
Real Madrid are in control of the match as they search for a way through the bodies camped within Levante’s 18-yard box. Both Nacho and Mendy are pushed high up the pitch as auxiliary wingers, though it’s come to little in the opening 10 minutes.
7'
A delightful ball is played through the defence by Modric for Asensio, but the forward is unable to get his shot at goal from a tight angle, giving Fernandez a goal-kick.
4'
Casemiro gets yellow.
A dangerous collision in midfield sees both Casemiro and Malsa down on the ground in some pain. The Real Madrid player had left his leg a tackle, causing the damage. He’s shown an early booking for the infringement.
3'
An early corner is won by Modric, who opts to take it himself. It’s a poor effort though from the midfielder, who fails to beat the first man in the first set-piece of the match.
1'
Real Madrid get the match underway from the kick-off!
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the LaLiga fixture between Levante and Real Madrid!
Real Madrid seem to have found their rhythm after a slow opening to the campaign, beating Betis and Valladolid after a first-day draw with Real Sociedad. A win for Los Blancos in this match would extend their LaLiga unbeaten run to 15 and take them top of the table with a match in hand over their nearest rivals.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let's look at how the two sides will line up, starting with Levante!
REAL MADRID SUBS: Andriy Lunin, Rodrygo, Marcelo, Diego Altube, Victor Chust, Luka Jovic, Lucas Vazquez, Isco, Martin Odegaard.
REAL MADRID XI (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Nacho, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy; Federico Valverde, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior.
LEVANTE SUBS: Dani Gomez, Son, Coke, Jorge De Frutos, Koke Vegas, Gonzalo Melero, Rober Pier, Tono, Nemanja Radoja, Daniel Cardenas, Oscar Duarte.
Levante haven’t started their fourth consecutive LaLiga season particularly well, losing twice in three matches which leaves them in the relegation zone. Coming off the back of a last-second loss to Sevilla in their previous match, the hosts will be looking to buoy their confidence and mirror their performance in this fixture last year, when they beat Madrid 1-0.
LEVANTE XI (4-4-2): Aitor Fernandez; Jorge Miramon, Ruben Vezo, Sergio Postigo, Carlos Clerc; Jose Campana, Nikola Vukcevic, Mickael Malsa, Enis Bardhi; Roger, Jose Luis Morales.
Levante will need to push ahead in search of a goal if they wish to take anything from the match, though it hasn’t been an exceptionally promising first half from the hosts going forward. Perhaps the introduction of De Frutos on the wing or a change in full-back will give them some much-needed burst as they attack the Real Madrid flanks. For their part, the visitors seem quite comfortable, though they have a wealth of options to choose from should they need to dominate possession further, with both Odegaard and Isco ready for their chance.
That concludes our commentary of the LaLiga fixture between Levante and Real Madrid! We hope you enjoyed it!
Levante are up next in six days when they travel to face Athletic Club. Real Madrid will welcome Cadiz to Madrid the same day.
In a match where Real Madrid weren’t dominant, they were able to see out a 2-0 win thanks to an early Vinicius goal, as well as Benzema’s first of the season on the stroke of full-time. Levante grew into the match and were able to put considerably more pressure on Courtois in the second half, though Bardhi’s long-range efforts and a Clerc chance from an acute angle ultimately weren’t enough to threaten the clean sheet. A goal from Sergio Ramos ruled away for offside gave the hosts increased optimism as the match wore on, but they were unable to find what they needed and left gaps at the back which were eventually exposed by a grateful Benzema. The three points go to Zidane’s side, who lead LaLiga as things stand. The loss for Levante keeps them in 18th, just a point ahead of last.
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