Marko Dmitrovic already has one foot in the legend of the RCDE Stadium. The Serbian goalkeeper, who before the initial whistle received the award for LaLiga’s best save of March from Tommy N’Kono, once again justified that award throughout the ninety minutes with a providential performance that saved Espanyol from a defeat that, in view of what happened in the final stretch, would have been difficult to refute. Levante left Cornellà with a point that feels like little, especially after having had all three in their hands in stoppage time.
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The match started with Espanyol trying to impose their home advantage. Ngonge looked for spaces from the beginning and Kike García was the first to test Ryan, albeit without too much conviction. However, it was Levante who had the clearest chance of the first half: Víctor García received the ball in space inside the area in the 5th minute, turned and shot first-time across goal, but Dmitrovic instinctively stretched to deflect a ball that was heading for goal. A save that set the tone for what was to come.
The ‘granotas’ settled into the match as the minutes passed. They took possession of the ball, extinguished the initial pressure from the ‘pericos’ and even provoked some whistles from the RCDE Stadium stands. However, Espanyol managed to overcome and regained control of the match in the final stretch of the first half, although without finding enough clarity to beat Ryan. The score remained unchanged at halftime, with more will than football from both sides.
The second half did not bring too many novelties at its beginning. Pere Milla made a spectacular control to then shoot at goal, with the ball ending up in Ryan’s gloves, and Expósito tried with a volley that grazed the post. Levante was not suffering, but neither were they threatening. Until Luís Castro moved the bench: the entry of Etta Eyong and Carlos Álvarez from the 72nd minute gave the ‘granotas’ a new lease of life, and they began to press with more intensity in a phase of the match that was filled with yellow cards and tension in every dispute.
The decisive moment came in the 88th minute. Pol Lozano, who had entered the field just three minutes earlier, committed two consecutive fouls on Carlos Álvarez and saw a second yellow, leaving Espanyol with ten men with two minutes plus stoppage time remaining. Madness. Levante, who had arrived in Cornellà with survival as their horizon and 32 points in their pocket, smelled blood.
And then came Dmitrovic’s festival. First, in the 90th minute, he stuck out his foot to deflect a point-blank shot from Etta Eyong after a foul by Carlos Álvarez at the edge of the box. Then, in the 90+3, he came out very quickly to close all angles to the same player in a one-on-one that seemed decided. Espanyol also warned: Roberto Fernández headed dangerously in the 90+2 after a cross from Edu Expósito, but the ball did not go in by centimeters. The end of the match was sealed by Carlos Álvarez with a thunderous shot against the crossbar in the last gasp that perfectly summarized Levante’s night: a lot of effort and victory slipping away by a whisker.
The draw leaves Espanyol in fourteenth place with 39 points and still without a win in 2026. Levante is two points from safety. A point that for the ‘granotas’ feels like little after everything they had in stoppage time.
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