{"id":117900,"date":"2026-01-17T16:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T15:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/weisetech.dev\/fc-barcelona-noticias\/en\/madrid-2-0-levante-mbappe-and-asensio-give-arbeloa-breathing-room_315771_102\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T11:35:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:35:36","slug":"madrid-2-0-levante-mbappe-and-asensio-give-arbeloa-breathing-room_315771_102","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fcbarcelonanoticias.com\/en\/laliga\/madrid-2-0-levante-mbappe-and-asensio-give-arbeloa-breathing-room_315771_102.html","title":{"rendered":"Real Madrid 2-0 Levante: Mbapp\u00e9 and Asensio calm the Bernab\u00e9u’s anger and revive the LaLiga fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Real Madrid returned to winning ways against Levante (2-0), putting Los Blancos just 1 point behind Bar\u00e7a, who visit Real Sociedad on Sunday. After another lamentable first half, Mbapp\u00e9 and Asensio calmed nerves at the Bernab\u00e9u<\/h2> \r\n
\r\n \r\n \r\n Calendar of FC Barcelona <\/a>\r\n<\/div>

\u00c1lvaro Arbeloa<\/strong> celebrated his first victory as Real Madrid<\/strong> coach this Saturday against Levante<\/strong> (2-0). After the humiliating KO in the Copa del Rey<\/strong> against Albacete (3-2), the abrupt departure of <\/a>Xabi Alonso<\/a>, and the defeat in the Spanish Super Cup<\/strong> final against FC Barcelona (3-2), the ‘Merengue’ team returned to a Santiago Bernab\u00e9u that had become a cauldron to ‘punish’ their players and <\/a>Florentino P\u00e9rez<\/a>.<\/p>

The rain of insults and whistles, with a handkerchief-waving included, was present from the warm-up and was much worse at halftime, after another lamentable first half from Madrid. Levante <\/strong>had several opportunities to open the scoring, mostly from set pieces, while the home team barely troubled the Granota goal with a deflected shot from Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/strong>.<\/p>

At halftime, Arbeloa brought on Arda G\u00fcler and Franco Mastantuono for Camavinga and Gonzalo<\/strong>, two changes that gave the ‘Merengue’ attack more fluidity in the second half. Finally, a penalty from Mbapp\u00e9 in the 58th minute<\/strong> and another header from Ra\u00fal Asencio<\/strong> in the 65th minute calmed the Bernab\u00e9u’s anger with an uninspired, but sufficient victory to keep the fight for the LaLiga lead open.<\/p>

Two set-piece goals finished off Levante at the Bernab\u00e9u<\/h2>

Levante held the zero without too much trouble in the first half, against a Madrid that was once again flat, predictable, and slow in transitions. The long passes from Asencio and \u00c1lvaro Carreras to Mbapp\u00e9 and Vinicius<\/strong> were the only weapon for the Whites to try to create danger.<\/p>

Tchouam\u00e9ni and Gonzalo were cautioned before halftime, victims of the impotence of a team unable to control the midfield against the second-to-last team in LaLiga. For the Frenchman, the yellow card is costly, as it prevents him from playing against Villarreal next Saturday at La Cer\u00e1mica.<\/p>

\"Mbapp\u00e9
Mbapp\u00e9 scored his sixth penalty in LaLiga 25\/26 against Levante (2-0)<\/div> <\/div> <\/div>

After the break, G\u00fcler settled in as an attacking midfielder<\/strong>, giving more purpose to ‘Merengue’ possessions. The Turk tried his luck in the 55th minute with a shot from the edge of the box that Ryan saved with difficulty and, three minutes later, Mbapp\u00e9 received a pass from Arda and, as he was lining up to shoot, he was brought down by De la Fuente<\/strong> inside the area.<\/p>

The penalty was clear and ‘Kiki’ did not fail in its execution, celebrating his 19th goal in the League, the sixth from a penalty<\/strong>. With the 1-0, Levante offered little resistance to even seek an equalizer. In the 65th minute, a corner served by G\u00fcler<\/strong> from the right allowed Asencio <\/strong>to score with a header.<\/p>

The Turk and two set-piece goals resolved the situation for Arbeloa, who at least managed to win in his first match on the Bernab\u00e9u bench. **Shouts and banners of ‘Florentino resign’** marked a tense afternoon in Chamart\u00edn, following a disastrous week for the team and with a sporting project on the brink of collapse<\/p>

Madrid Closes Gap to 1 Point Behind Bar\u00e7a Again<\/h2>

Beyond the ‘Merengue’ crisis, the fight for the LaLiga lead remains completely open at the start of the second half of the season. Real Madrid reached 48 points, one less than Barcelona (49)<\/strong>. Hansi Flick’s team visits Real Sociedad this Sunday (9:00 PM) with the obligation to win their tenth consecutive matchday to maintain their 4-point lead at the top.<\/p>

In the next matchday, the 21st, Madrid will visit Villarreal <\/strong>on Saturday (9:00 PM) and Bar\u00e7a will return to Spotify Camp Nou against Oviedo <\/strong>(Sunday, 4:15 PM). In between, both teams will play the seventh matchday of the Champions League group stage. The Whites will host Monaco <\/strong>on Tuesday, while the Catalans will travel to Prague to face Sparta <\/strong>on Wednesday<\/p>

Match Report: Real Madrid 2-0 Levante UD<\/h2>