Sevilla Gains on the Table as Late Goal Sinks Winless Levante at Buñol

BUÑOL, Spain — An autumn afternoon laced with tension and clouded optimism at Ciudad Deportiva de Buñol ended in familiar heartbreak for Levante, who saw their winless run deepen after Sevilla pried a 1-0 victory from their grasp with an 85th-minute dagger. In a contest shaped by nerves and missed chances, it was Sevilla who seized the late initiative, climbing the standings and leaving Levante mired at the foot of the Primera División Femenina.

For a Levante side still searching for a first win after six rounds—the only team yet to celebrate three points—the narrow defeat was a cruel echo of a season that refuses to break in their favor. If there was ever a day when home soil might offer respite, it unravelled much like those before: defensive resolve, flashes of promise, and ultimately, a decisive lapse as full time loomed.

Sevilla’s Patient Strike

The deciding moment arrived as both benches braced for a stalemate, only for Sevilla to puncture the tension. The 85th-minute strike, delivered by an as-yet-unconfirmed scorer, was the reward for Sevilla’s patient, measured approach. The visitors, bolstered by last week’s narrow 1-0 triumph over Espanyol, pressed forward in the dying stages, sensing fragility in Levante’s ranks.

A sequence of quick passes found Sevilla’s attacker free inside the area, and with a composed finish, the ball nestled in the net, deflating the home support and sending the Sevilla bench into raucous celebration. The goal was not just a snapshot of opportunism; it was the culmination of mounting pressure that had slowly turned the screw on Levante’s backline throughout the second half.

Levante, to their credit, responded with urgency. Yet, with fatigue setting in and confidence fleeting, their final thrusts lacked the incision to trouble Sevilla’s defense. As the whistle sounded, the magnitude of the defeat settled in: not merely another loss, but a deepening sense of a season spiraling into crisis.

A Season Slipping Away for Levante

Levante’s struggles are by now emphatically chronicled. Saturday’s defeat marked their fifth loss in six matches—the lone outlier a goalless draw with Alhama on opening day. Since then, Levante have scored only once, a solitary strike from Érika González in a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad, and shipped 13 goals in the other five matches. The inability to convert possession into goals has haunted the team, and each passing week intensifies the pressure.

This most recent setback comes on the heels of a 0-2 defeat at Madrid CFF, a trendline of narrow margins but consistent disappointment. The margin for error is evaporating, and with just one point from 18, Levante now sit in 16th—a position increasingly synonymous with danger.

Sevilla Rising from the Shadows

For Sevilla, the victory marks a quiet turning point. Their early season was blighted by heavy defeats—most notably a humbling 0-5 at the hands of powerhouse Barcelona—but the last fortnight has seen a welcome change in fortune. Consecutive victories by a single goal have lifted them to 10th in the table, with 7 points now from six fixtures.

The hallmarks of their resurgence are resilience and tactical discipline. Against Espanyol and now Levante, Sevilla have shown greater structure and a willingness to bide their time, looking to strike late rather than expose themselves with reckless pursuit. Their defense, leaky in September, has found a measure of steel, delivering back-to-back clean sheets for the first time this season.

Narrative of the Match

The flow of Sunday’s match mirrored much of each team’s campaign to date. The early stages were characterized by tense midfield exchanges, both sides cautious not to cede ground. Levante’s urgency was matched only by their inaccuracy in the final third, with half-chances flittering away.

Sevilla, meanwhile, were content to absorb pressure and counter with intent. The match’s physical complexion intensified as the second half wore on, with frustration bubbling up but never boiling over into cards or controversy. Each substitution offered fresh legs but little in the way of decisive change—until Sevilla’s late winner.

Though neither team boasts a compelling head-to-head recent history, Sunday’s result serves as a statement of progress for Sevilla, while for Levante, it is another chapter in an increasingly desperate search for answers.

Stakes for the Road Ahead

For Levante, the task now is existential. They must locate belief soon or risk the season slipping entirely beyond recovery. A leaky defense, a misfiring attack, and the psychological weight of a winless streak threaten to anchor them to the division’s basement. Next week’s fixture will be played under the shadow of urgency, as they look to stave off early relegation talk.

Sevilla, on the other hand, have reason to look up. With two consecutive wins, momentum is building. As the campaign deepens, Sevilla’s blend of poise and pragmatism could yet make them a force among the league’s middle tier.

In the grand narrative of this Primera División Femenina season, Sunday provided no shortage of drama—but for Levante, the search for daylight grows ever more pressing, while Sevilla step quietly but firmly into the league’s reckoning.