Ndukwe makes debut against Barcelona

FC Barcelona secured a narrow 2-4 away victory against UD Levante on the fifth matchday of LaLiga.

For Austrian international Ifeanyi Ndukwe, there was reason to celebrate: The former Austria Wien player made his debut for Levante.

Already in the fifth minute, Barcelona set the course for their fifth win in the fifth game.

Raphinha set up Xavi Espart, whose shot was deflected unstoppably into the goal – the early 1-0.

Raphinha with second assist

Shortly after, Raphinha was again in the spotlight: He dribbled past goalkeeper Ryan in front of the goal and laid it into the middle, where Lamine Yamal only had to tap into the empty net (19.).

After the break, Ndukwe's competitor Mandi committed an unnecessary foul on Yamal. The 19-year-old stepped up to take the resulting penalty himself and converted it for the decisive 3-0 (48.).

Ndukwe debuts

In the 70th minute, the time had come: Ndukwe made his first appearance for his new employer and celebrated his debut for Levante.

On the pitch, the 18-year-old first witnessed his team's consolation goal. After a consequential misplaced pass from Espart, Ivan Romero scored to make it 1-3 in the 79th minute.

Brugue reduced the deficit to 2-3 in the 88th minute, adding tension once again. Ndukwe confidently cleared several situations in the final phase and left a good impression on his debut.

Levante, however, no longer managed to equalize. Instead, Adeyemi scored the decisive 4-2 (90.+2.). Ndukwe was late in a tackling attempt during this play.

Barcelona remained flawless and led the table with 15 points. Levante had five points and was in 13th place.

Immediately after the final whistle, Ndukwe secured a special souvenir from his debut: The Austrian asked MVP Yamal for his jersey.