Barcelona stay perfect as Yamal shines; Leipzig hit five

Barcelona maintained their flawless start to the La Liga season with a 4-2 win away to Levante, while RB Leipzig answered a recent European defeat by sweeping aside Hamburg 5-0 in the Bundesliga.

Yamal leads Barcelona through stern Levante test

Hansi Flick’s side made another winning step in the league, but this was not a routine afternoon in Valencia. Barcelona raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening 19 minutes, with Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal finishing off sharp attacking moves.

Levante, though, did not fold. The home side responded well before the break and ended the first half having registered six shots to Barcelona’s three, a sign that the contest remained alive despite the early damage.

Any sense of a Levante recovery was checked almost immediately after the restart. Just 42 seconds into the second half, Barcelona won a penalty and Yamal converted it himself. The teenager’s latest brace means he has now produced three doubles in his last three La Liga appearances.

Late drama before Adeyemi settles it

Barcelona still had to withstand a late push. An inaccurate pass from Espart opened the door for Iván Romero, who rounded Joan García and finished to reduce the deficit with 12 minutes remaining.

Levante then set up a tense finale when Roger Brugue drove through a series of Barcelona challenges to score again with two minutes left. For a brief moment, the home side had real hope of rescuing something from the game.

Those hopes were ended in stoppage time when Karim Adeyemi produced a weaving run and finish to restore Barcelona’s cushion. The result leaves Barcelona alone at the top of the table with five wins from five, three points clear of Real Madrid.

Leipzig respond in emphatic fashion

In Germany, RB Leipzig reacted strongly after their Champions League loss at Como by overpowering struggling Hamburg. The home side won 5-0, climbing to fourth in the Bundesliga.

Antonio Nusa was the standout performer, scoring once and creating two more. One of those assists was for Christopher Nkunku, whose goal was his first since returning to Leipzig in August.

Tidiam Gomis, Willi Orban and Romulo were also on the scoresheet as Leipzig turned in a dominant display. After the match, Nusa underlined the importance of moving on quickly from setbacks.

“It’s easy to look into the past too much. You lost two games. It’s difficult, but you have to look forward,” Nusa said.

Two contenders build momentum

For Barcelona, the headline remains their perfect opening to the domestic campaign, with Yamal again central to it. For Leipzig, this was the kind of response expected from a side looking to stay in the Bundesliga’s leading group.

• Barcelona beat Levante 4-2 in La Liga.
• Lamine Yamal scored twice for Barcelona.
• Barcelona have five wins from five and lead Real Madrid by three points.
• RB Leipzig beat Hamburg 5-0 in the Bundesliga.
• Antonio Nusa scored once and provided two assists.