A defeat that followed a lead
Levante’s run of one win in their last five league games continued on 25 October, when they lost 2-1 away to Real Sociedad. According to [1], Real Sociedad led 1-0, conceded an equaliser and then won the match. It was their fourth straight LaLiga victory, and their coach Pellegrino Matarazzo said his side played well and could have scored more.
The result undid some of the momentum from the previous week. Four days earlier Levante had beaten Athletic Club 3-1 at home, and the [2] framed the trip to Real Sociedad as a chance for a second straight win. Instead the side that scored three against Athletic left with nothing, even though it had found a way back into the game after going behind.
That pattern, scoring but not holding on to results, is visible in the recent record. Levante’s last five league games produced a 3-1 defeat at Villarreal, a 3-3 draw with Sevilla, a 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruña, the Athletic win and now this loss. Goals have not been the problem; keeping them out has.
Romero’s milestone and the squad picture
The one clear positive from the weekend was personal. Marca [3] that Iván Romero played his 100th official match for Levante against Real Sociedad. The forward has started nine of the club’s first ten league games this season and has three league goals. Marca describes him as the captain and a regular starter under Luís Castro, which makes him the most reliable fixture in the team sheet.
The injury picture has improved, though not completely. Etta Eyong has returned from injury and scored, according to Marca’s [2]. Hugo Sotelo has recovered from a muscle injury and is available. Dela is the exception: he is still out with muscle discomfort, and nothing in the input suggests a return date.
For Castro, that means more options in attack and midfield than a fortnight ago, and one fewer name to plan around. Having Romero, Etta Eyong and Sotelo all available gives Levante a fuller group for a week in which they face a stronger opponent than Athletic or Deportivo.
The numbers behind the form
Levante’s record after ten games reads two wins, four draws and four defeats, for 10 points. They have scored 16 and conceded 19, a goal difference of minus three. Four draws show a side that is rarely out of games, but the four defeats are what hold them in the lower half of the table.
The recent scorelines are open. Across the last four league matches, Levante have scored eight and conceded seven: 3-3 with Sevilla, 1-1 at Deportivo, 3-1 over Athletic and 1-2 at Real Sociedad. Including the 3-1 loss at Villarreal on 20 September, the five-game total is nine scored and ten conceded, worth five points.
Home and away split the story somewhat. In this five-game sample the two home games brought a 3-3 draw and a 3-1 win, four points and six goals scored. The three away games brought one point and four goals scored, from defeats at Villarreal and Real Sociedad and a draw at Deportivo. A sample this small proves little, but it suggests the Levante ground has been the more productive place for them so far.
What it means
Levante are 14th in La Liga with 10 points from 10 games. That is a position of mild concern rather than alarm, but a side with a goal difference of minus three and four defeats has little margin for a string of losses. The table is tight enough that a good week can lift them, and a poor one can pull them toward the bottom.
The form says Levante are competitive and entertaining but too easy to score against. Conceding at least once in each of the last five league games has cost them points, and the late comeback at Real Sociedad did not change that. Romero’s three goals and Etta Eyong’s return give them a way to keep scoring, so the question is whether they can tighten up at the back.
The next fixture asks that question directly. Atlético visit on 31 October in La Liga, and Levante will be at home, where this five-game sample shows their better attacking returns. Matching an Atlético side without conceding early is a bigger task than anything Athletic or Deportivo asked of them. The site’s forecast for the match locks 24 hours before kick-off, so the grade on it will be public once the game is played.
