7-minute blitz floors Barcelona
Valencia (Spain), Nov. 3: Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid each passed up the chance to go top of La Liga on Saturday after Barcelona conceded three goals in seven minutes during a surprise 3-1 defeat by Levante. Lionel Messi converted a first-half penalty at the City of Valencia Stadium for his sixth goal in five games only for Levante to stun the defending champions with an incredible treble shortly after the hour. Yet Atletico and Sevilla played out a 1-1 draw at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where Diego Costa missed a penalty, before Real squandered a string of opportunities at the Santiago Bernabeu in a goalless draw against Real Betis. It means Barca will be relieved to stay at the summit — ahead of Atletico by a point with a game in hand and in front of Real on goal difference — even if their collapse against Levante should offer encouragement to their title rivals. Meanwhile, Granada will overtake them all if they beat Real Sociedad on Sunday. “Everything unravelled,” said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. “We didn’t start the second half well, we weren’t creating chances and although they weren’t either they suddenly scored two goals. The third one hurt us a lot.” Jose Campana and Borja Mayoral scored in the 61st and 63rd minutes before Nemanja Radoja added a third in the 68th to leave their disheveled opponents with too much to do. After seven wins on the bounce in all competitions, Barca arrived in Valencia as overwhelming favourites, particularly given the irresistible form of Messi, whose goal was the 500th of his career with his left foot.