Levante produced one of their biggest results of the season after coming from two goals down to beat Osasuna 3-2 in a dramatic La Liga clash at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Friday night, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria-eligible winger Kareem Tunde started the match for Luís Castro’s side and played 46 minutes before being withdrawn at half-time as Levante searched for a more attacking approach.
The night looked set to end in disaster for the home side after Osasuna stormed into an early two-goal lead inside the opening 11 minutes. The visitors went ahead after just three minutes when Jeremy Toljan accidentally diverted the ball into his own net under pressure inside the area.
Osasuna doubled their advantage eight minutes later through Ante Budimir. The Croatian striker met Abel Bretones’ delivery and calmly guided his finish into the bottom corner for his 18th league goal of the campaign.
Levante struggled badly in the opening stages, but the momentum of the match completely changed in the closing stages of the first half. Full-back Víctor García dragged the hosts back into the contest with two goals in the space of two minutes.
His first arrived in the 35th minute after he reacted quickest at the far post from a corner kick. García then produced the moment of the half in the 37th minute when he unleashed a powerful long-range effort from around 30 metres that flew into the top corner past Sergio Herrera.
The match swung even further in Levante’s favour just before the break when Osasuna goalkeeper Herrera received a straight red card for handling the ball outside his penalty area.
Tunde substituted as Levante complete comeback
With Osasuna reduced to ten men, Castro made a bold tactical decision by replacing Kareem Tunde at half-time with Roger Brugué as Levante pushed for victory.
The change transformed the home side into an attacking force. Levante finished the game with 67 percent possession, 35 total shots and 15 corners as they laid siege to Osasuna’s goal throughout the second half.
Despite being under constant pressure, substitute goalkeeper Aitor Fernández kept the visitors in the contest with a string of important saves.
However, Levante finally found the breakthrough in the 90th minute. Cameroon forward Karl Etta Eyong, 21, powered home a diving header from Alan Matturro’s cross to complete an extraordinary turnaround and send the home supporters into celebration.
Tunde’s performance before his withdrawal received mixed ratings across different platforms. FotMob awarded him 6.9, while WhoScored gave him 6.5 and Sofascore rated him 6.6.
Although Levante struggled defensively in the opening minutes, the winger was efficient in possession. He completed all 17 of his passes successfully and won two free kicks during his time on the pitch.
The victory could prove crucial in Levante’s battle against relegation. The three points move them onto 36 points and level with Alavés as the fight for survival tightens with only three league matches remaining this season.
Tunde, who is eligible to represent both Nigeria and Spain at international level, continues to attract attention after returning recently from a minor adductor injury that reportedly affected his chances of earning a Super Eagles call-up earlier this year.
