Brugue double helps Levante end long wait for victory over Athletic Club

Roger Brugue scored twice as Levante beat 10-man Athletic Club 3-1 at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia to record their first victory over the Basque side in almost eight years.

The result moved Levante above Athletic Club into 11th place in LaLiga, while the visitors fell to 13th after suffering their third defeat of the season. It was also Athletic’s first loss since the end of August.

Athletic had returned to the city only four days after a goalless draw away to Valencia, with Edin Terzic’s side seeking to end a run of three successive draws. They made the brighter start in the rescheduled fixture, but Alex Berenguer was denied by a strong, full-stretch save from Mathew Ryan.

Levante then took control during a chaotic two-minute spell in which Athletic’s defensive errors proved costly.

A low cross was not dealt with inside the penalty area, creating a scramble that allowed Brugue to send a low finish past an unmoving Unai Simon at the near post.

The Levante forward had barely finished celebrating before adding a second. Mikel Jauregizar’s misplaced pass initiated the move, and when Simon could only parry Thiago Fernandez’s powerful effort, Brugue followed up to tap the ball into an unguarded net.

Athletic became the first team to trail Levante at half-time this season, but they were given an opportunity to reduce the deficit after the interval.

Following a lengthy VAR review, Jon Ander Olasagasti was penalised for an accidental kick on Maroan Sannadi inside the box. Berenguer took responsibility from the spot and calmly rolled the penalty home, sending Ryan the wrong way and giving the travelling supporters renewed hope.

That optimism was checked when Aymeric Laporte was shown a red card for a last-man foul on Dani Requena. The decision appeared harsh, with only minimal contact between the players, but Athletic were reduced to 10 men.

Levante took advantage in stoppage time to secure the points. Substitute Karl Etta Eyong reacted quickest to a close-range rebound, removing any remaining doubt and completing the home side’s first win since August 29th.

Brugue was named Flashscore’s Man of the Match after claiming his second brace of the season.