Ex-Benfica man in trouble! Heavy thrashing in Spain darkens outlook | OneFootball

Levante, managed by Luís Castro, suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat away to Villarreal in the 34th round of La Liga, further complicating their battle to stay in Spain’s top flight - where João Cancelo could become champion.

The home side opened the scoring in the 38th minute through Georges Mikautadze, and that scoreline remained unchanged until half-time. Levante did respond early in the second half, equalising in the 51st minute through Carlos Espi, but the reaction was short-lived.

Villarreal took complete control of the match and built an emphatic win with goals from Alberto Moleiro (62), Mikautadze (68), Tajon Buchanan (87) and Nicolas Pépé (90), giving the visitors from the Valencia region no chance.

With this result, Levante remain second from bottom in the standings, three points away from safety, and could still see that gap grow by the end of the round. One point above the former Benfica coach’s side are Sevilla, featuring Odysseas Vlachodimos.

At the end of the match, Luís Castro left a message of hope for Levante’s supporters. "The twelve points still left for us to play for are vital. We have to keep believing it’s possible until the very last point", said the Portuguese coach.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.