Levante and Sevilla draw 3-3 after three stoppage-time goals and a red card

Sevilla lead twice before the hour

Levante and Sevilla drew 3-3 at the Ciutat de València on 12 October in the eighth matchday of LaLiga EA Sports. Robbie Ure gave Sevilla the lead in the 14th minute, after an error by Ifeanyi Ndukwe in possession left him free to score into an empty net, according to Europa Press. Levante struggled to play out from the back in the early stages, and Sevilla's Youssouf Fofana caused problems on the counter. Félix Correia doubled the lead in the 54th minute, but the goal stood only after VAR overturned an offside call that had been made against him. El País reported that Sevilla were 2-0 up at the 56th minute and had been clearly the better side for most of the match.

Levante strike back in the closing stages

Iván Romero reduced the deficit in the 57th minute, finishing past Odysseas Vlachodimos after Roger Brugué played him through. Levante then pushed forward for most of the remaining time, with Brugué forcing the Sevilla goalkeeper into a save about ten minutes from the end. In stoppage time, Dani Requena delivered a cross that Adrián Dela met with a left-footed volley to make it 2-2, which Europa Press described as unleashing chaos at the Ciutat de València. Sevilla were then not able to defend the restart properly, and Dela had a further shot saved twice by Vlachodimos before the ball fell to Ndukwe.

Red card, late equaliser and the referee's decision

Isaac Romero struck from outside the box to put Sevilla 2-3 ahead, but he was sent off after his celebration. Referee Adrián Cordero Vega showed him a second yellow card, which ABC reported was for silencing the home crowd and pointing to the number on his shirt, while SAPO reported the referee judged he had been mocking the fans. Sevilla were then down to ten men, and Ndukwe scored at 90+10 after a series of scrambles in the area to make it 3-3. Lucien Agoumé criticised the decision to Movistar+ after the match:

The problem is not the 3-3 draw, but that the referee sends off a player for a celebration. I had never seen that before. Isaac did nothing wrong, he was celebrating his goal as he always does, but the referee has decided to punish us. Levante were pushing hard in the final minutes and we conceded the goal. I am waiting for the referee's explanation of that card.

Standings and what comes next

Europa Press reported that the point lifted Levante out of the relegation zone and that they have played one match fewer than their direct rivals. Sevilla, fifth in the table with 15 points, remain five points behind leaders Barcelona, with 30 matchdays still to play, according to the same report. ABC said the Sevilla side felt the result was unjust, with the sending-off of Isaac Romero the main grievance. El País noted that Sevilla have not yet lost away from home this season, but also said they must analyse their errors in front of goal and in defence in the closing minutes. The sequence of goals and the red card are set out below.