Madrid: Real Madrid clung on to record a nervy but vital 3-2 win at home to Levante in La Liga Saturday following a shoddy second-half performance after taking a three-goal lead with a Karim Benzema double and Casemiro strike.
Benzema headed Real in front after 25 minutes when he met a cross from Dani Carvajal and the France forward struck again a few minutes later with a well-taken finish after latching on to a pass from James Rodriguez.
Brazil midfielder Casemiro stretched Real’s advantage right before half-time with a gut-busting run to meet a cross from compatriot Vinicius, but Levante hit back shortly after the interval through former Madrid forward Borja Mayoral.
The visitors reduced the deficit to one goal with 15 minutes to go thanks to a near-post header from Gonzalo Melero and twice came close to levelling in stoppage time.
Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was forced to turn away a header from Ruben Vezo, while Levante’s talisman Jose Luis Morales tried to catch out the Belgian moments later by shooting instead of crossing but narrowly missed the near post.
Earlier, both Athletic Bilbao and Real Mallorca missed late penalties as Athletic Bilbao squandered an opportunity to go top of table in a dramatic 0-0 draw.
Aritz Aduriz saw his 96th-minute penalty saved by Manolo Reina, after Abdon Prats had dragged a spot-kick wide for the hosts Friday.
The point keeps Bilbao unbeaten after four league games this season, but victory would have seen them move two points clear of Atletico Madrid before the early leaders’ game at Real Sociedad Saturday.
In the 82nd minute, Prats, who also came off the bench, had missed Mallorca’s effort from 12 yards. The drama was not over there, though, as Mallorca were not given another spot-kick following a VAR review, before they had a goal ruled out for offside in the ninth minute of added time.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi will reportedly miss Barcelona’s match with Valencia Saturday as he continues to recover from a calf injury. The Argentine player is not yet back in full training and is still feeling discomfort from the strain, which he suffered August 5 on his first day of pre-season.
The Catalan giants will be relying on summer signing Antoine Griezmann to get them through against Valencia, and they’ll hope to field a stronger team Tuesday when they face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League.
