Reigning Spanish League champions recovered from a two-goal, halftime deficit to pull off a stunning comeback against Levante.
Barcelona fought back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at Levante with a late own-goal by the hosts in La Liga.
Defending champions Barcelona needed Pedri Gonzalez and Ferran Torres to score early in the second half to equalise after the newly promoted Levante had rolled to a surprise two-goal lead at halftime on Saturday.
Lamine Yamal then helped to produce the winning goal when he curled a cross into the 6-yard box, and Levante’s Unai Elgezabal headed into his own net.
Levante striker Ivan Romero earlier struck from a counterattack in the 15th minute that started with a ball lost by Yamal. Jose Luis Morales made it 2-0 in first-half injury time by converting a penalty after a video review called a handball by Alejandro Balde when he blocked Morales’s shot.
But Pedri started the fightback in the 49th when he received Yamal’s pass well outside the area, picked his spot in the corner of the net and blasted in a shot from long range.
Ferran, who had hit the woodwork in the first half, levelled in the 52nd when he fended off his marker and volleyed in Raphinha’s corner kick.
Barcelona then pressed for the decider, which Yamal helped find just after the 90 minutes were up.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised Pedri for his goal, saying that “it changed the match”.
“The first goal we scored helped us a lot to get our confidence in the box, but until the end, it was not easy for us to get the three points.”
Barcelona won its opener at nine-man Mallorca 3-0 last weekend.
Rashford makes first league start
Newcomer Marcus Rashford made his first league start for Barcelona since his loan move from Manchester United as a left-side forward for Flick.
The English international was replaced by Dani Olmo at halftime, after the biggest threats had come from Pedri’s passes in the middle and Yamal’s incursions down the right.
“I think Marcus [Rashford] had some situations in the first half where he showed how good he is and how he can help us, and that is how we have to continue,” Flick said.
Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski played his first minutes of the season as a late substitute after recovering from a muscle injury.
Barca will visit Rayo Vallecano next week as it continues its title defence. Levante, which has lost both its opening fixtures, will travel to Elche, hoping for a more positive result.
