It was raining on the Ciudad de Valencia with virulence as Levante put on a display against the Dutch League leaders. It was the second match at the Ciutat in the Europa League Group Stage. The pennant honours a duel that took place on 25 October 2012. Juan Ignacio Martínez’s Levante gnawed away at Twente’s soul until they were thrown into confusion. Goals from Michel and Pedro Ríos eventually saw the Tulip team surrender (3-0).
It was a thrilling confrontation from the start. Gekas collided with the Dutch goalkeeper as soon as he took the field and the crowd held its breath after Castaignos’s howitzer was fired into Keylor’s net, although the referee ruled that a Twente attacker was offside in positional play. Orriols had called for Diop to be brought down inside the area. The game was going from one end of the pitch to the other. There was speed and spark.
The blue and Reds did not break down when Twente began to prowl the vicinity of the goal defended in European competition by Keylor, although this dominance was perhaps more fiction than reality. Levante struggled to get their attacking play going in the first half, but their play was shaken up after the restart. Michel changed the scenography of the game at the restart. Douglas handled the ball inside the area and the Burjassot player converted the corresponding penalty with determination.
Michel unleashed the confrontation. Levante showed their most ruthless version from that moment on. Juan Ignacio opted to shake up the game with the presence of Rubén and Ángel. With Keylor’s goal protected by Ballesteros and Héctor Rodas, Levante began to weave lethal counterattacks. Tormented, after feeling in control of the game for a few minutes, Twente were in total confusion and began to show signs of starvation as Pedro Ríos lifted the crowd with two goals that put Levante on Hannover’s heels for the Europa League Group L lead.