Levante win basement battle against Rayo

Stalemate

Levante and Rayo started the day with identical records, having taken one point from a possible 18 in recent weeks, and the nerves showed in a scrappy, evenly-balanced first half when neither keeper was seriously tested.

Deyverson threatens

Levante started the second half the stronger, breaking behind Rayo’s high defensive line to cause problems for visiting keeper Yoel.

After 56 minutes, Brazilian forward Deyverson ran from his own half on a breakaway but fired wide of the far post. Soon after the Levante frontman volleyed just wide of the upright at a corner.

Yoel beaten

Yoel had just made a great flying save from a Zouhair Feddal header at a corner when Levante took the lead.  In the 72nd minute, Toño Garcia crossed from the left and Deyverson let fly with a stinging volley which Yoel got his hands to but could not keep out.

71' | 1-0 | GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLL de Deyverson #LUDlive #LUDvRVM pic.twitter.com/0YMrMFB9DB

— Levante UD (@LevanteUD) January 9, 2016

Levante’s leading scorer took his tally for the season to five and moved the lowest scoring team in the division at the start of the day, on to 14 from 19 games in the first half of the season.

Leaky defence

Rayo coach Paco Jemez stayed true to his offensive instincts and made attacking changes as he chased the game and Levante profited to grab a second.

Winger Jose Luis Morales broke away down the left, turned Rayo defender Quini inside out, and curled a shot inside the far post in the 81st minute. It was the 43rd goal Rayo had conceded this season.

Pablo Hernandez

Rayo responded two minutes later. Substitute Lass Bangoura pulled back from the left to set up Pablo Hernandez, who fired in low though a crowd of players for his first of the season, to set up a tense finale. Rayo stayed 19th one point ahead of their hosts.