Match ends, Levante 5, Barcelona 4.
Barcelona's dream of going a whole La Liga season unbeaten ended in their penultimate game as they were beaten by lowly Levante in a remarkable match.
The hosts moved into a 5-1 lead, with Emmanuel Boateng scoring a hat-trick and Enis Bardhi netting twice.
Barca's Philippe Coutinho scored a hat-trick of his own and Luis Suarez netted a penalty to set up a tense finale.
But the champions could not find an equaliser as they fell to a first La Liga defeat in 44 games.
Ernesto Valverde, beaten in the league for the first time as Barcelona boss, may regret his decision to rest top scorer Lionel Messi for the trip to 15th-placed Levante.
After coming through their game against Real Madrid unbeaten last weekend, it looked as though history beckoned for Barcelona.
No side have gone an entire Spanish top flight season unbeaten since the 1930s, when there were only 18 games in a season.
But they fell just short in a match that almost defied logic - they had only conceded 24 goals in their opening 36 games.
With the league and cup double already wrapped up, and their Champions League run long over, it makes next Sunday's final game against Real Sociedad largely irrelevant - except to send off departing captain Andres Iniesta.
How the mayhem unfolded
9 mins: 1-0 - Boateng opens the scoring, via the crossbar, after good play by Jose Luis Morales
13 mins: Almost a second goal as Bardhi hits the post from close range
30 mins: 2-0 - with Thomas Vermaelen off the pitch injured, Boateng goes round goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and slams into an empty net after evading defender Nelson Semedo
38 mins: 2-1 - Luis Suarez finds Coutinho, whose 20-yard shot is deflected into the net
46 mins: 3-1 - less than a minute into the second half Bardhi curls a fabulous effort home from the edge of the box
49 mins: 4-1 - Boateng scores the first hat-trick of his career as he smashes home a first-time effort from former Aston Villa defender Antonio Luna's pass
56 mins: 5-1 - Levante are in dreamland. Barcelona leave too much space at the back and Roger Marti plays the ball to Bardhi, who smashes home
59 mins: 5-2 - Coutinho slams home from close range after Suarez's shot is blocked, but surely they cannot come back?
64 mins: 5-3 - Coutinho joins Boateng in the hat-trick club with another deflected shot from outside the box - but they still need two more
71 mins: 5-4 - Suarez scores a penalty after Sergio Busquets is fouled, and at this stage a comeback looks likely
90 mins: Levante should make it 6-4 as Busquets' backpass does not find his keeper - but Ruben Rochina puts it wide from close range
94 mins: The full-time whistle goes to spark huge celebrations at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, and probably in Madrid too
Famous win for Levante
Barcelona should have expected a difficult evening at Levante, who have had a dramatic revival under boss Paco Lopez.
When he was promoted from his role as reserve-team boss in March, the club were only one point above the relegation zone.
But they have now won eight of their 10 games since his appointment - to take them 17 points clear of the bottom three.
Lopez said it would be "historic" for Levante, in their first season back in the top flight following promotion, to beat Barcelona and there were big celebrations at the final whistle on a famous night for the club nicknamed the Frogs.
Line-ups
Levante
Formation 4-4-2
- 13Olazábal
- 12Andújar MorenoBooked at 62mins
- 15Postigo
- 4Suárez Pier
- 22Luna
- 11MoralesSubstituted forRochinaat 85'minutes
- 20Lukic
- 24CampañaBooked at 70mins
- 10BardhiBooked at 22mins
- 9MartíSubstituted forLermaat 69'minutesBooked at 88mins
- 21BoatengBooked at 37minsSubstituted forPazziniat 77'minutesBooked at 90mins
Substitutes
- 1Villar
- 8Lerma
- 16Rochina
- 17Pazzini
- 18Cabaco
- 19López
- 25Al Muwallad Al-Harbi
Barcelona
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1ter Stegen
- 2Nélson Semedo
- 24MinaBooked at 90mins
- 25VermaelenBooked at 20minsSubstituted forPiquéat 31'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 18AlbaBooked at 90mins
- 4Rakitic
- 5BusquetsBooked at 65mins
- 11DembéléSubstituted forAlcácerat 60'minutes
- 8IniestaSubstituted forD Suárezat 60'minutesBooked at 89mins
- 14Coutinho
- 9SuárezBooked at 88mins
Substitutes
- 3Piqué
- 6D Suárez
- 13Cillessen
- 15Paulinho
- 17Alcácer
- 19Digne
- 21André Gomes
- Referee:
- Mario Melero López
- Attendance:
- 22,384
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home35%
- Away65%
- Shots
- Home12
- Away18
- Shots on Target
- Home7
- Away7
- Corners
- Home3
- Away8
- Fouls
- Home18
- Away12
Live Text
Post update
Booking
Jordi Alba (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Full Time
Second Half ends, Levante 5, Barcelona 4.
Booking
Yerry Mina (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Yerry Mina (Barcelona).
Post update
Giampaolo Pazzini (Levante) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Booking
Gerard Piqué (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Foul by Gerard Piqué (Barcelona).
Post update
Rober Pier (Levante) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Booking
Giampaolo Pazzini (Levante) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Jordi Alba (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Giampaolo Pazzini (Levante).
Post update
Attempt missed. Rubén Rochina (Levante) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Booking
Denis Suárez (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Booking
Luis Suárez (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
Booking
Jefferson Lerma (Levante) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Offside, Levante. Rubén Rochina tries a through ball, but Enis Bardhi is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Levante. Rubén Rochina replaces José Luis Morales.
Post update
Attempt missed. Coutinho (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Post update
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Rober Pier.
Comments
Join the conversation
Not as good as Celtic last season?
That’s the most uncompetitive league in Europe out there- there’s a reason nobody south of the border takes it seriously.
Nothing like a plastic fan, living in a completely different country to the foreign club he ‘supports’.
Pathetic, and cringeworthy.
Woeful defending.
Poor tactics, no direct ball into box. Where was Alba's running?Too much passing without the players to finish it.
Anyone who says La Liga is easy; top 3, for all their 'dominance', have all drawn 9 games.
No Messi, Barca would be 4th-6th.
“I’ve good mental capabilities”
Proceeds to spell Barcelona incorrectly, and then proceeds to refer to them as “farca”
Yeah- you’re completely and utterly pathetic.
And you didn’t answer my question- does the initials in your name refer to the fact you’re a Real fan? Because the way you’re going on, it sure does sound like it.
Arrogance of the highest order from Barca and got what they deserved. When you're that close to a record that'll probably never be broken, you don't play it safe and hope it's enough. Saying that, you'd expect their B side to win that match. Overrated I guess. Cough, Roma.
Barcelona without messi = man u
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Man Utd without De Gea = Everton