Levante pip Getafe 1-0 in La Liga

Macedonian left winger Enis Bardhi scored to lead Levante to a 1-0 away win in La Liga Matchday 8 action over Getafe.

The game at Coliseum Alfonso Perez was evenly matched at the beginning, with both teams taking a conservative approach for much of the first half on Saturday night.

Levante looked to set up Ghanaian striker Emmanuel Boateng for one-on-one plays against defenders Bruno Gonzalez and Djene, who managed with difficulty to keep him from scoring, reports Efe news.

The visitors allowed Getafe space to roam along the sideline, but the hosts were unable to make the most of those situations due to a lack of accuracy in the final pass.

The best scoring chance for Getafe in the first half was a shot by Jorge Molina that Levante goalkeeper Oier Olazabal managed to save with his feet, while the clearest opportunity for the visiting side was a long-range shot by Bosnian midfielder Sanjin Prcic.

After the break, Levante head coach Paco Lopez replaced Prcic with Bardhi, whose dynamic play gave his team a lift offensively.

Bardhi also notched the lone goal of the contest when he scored on a free kick from outside the box just before the one hour-mark.

Getafe manager Jose Bordalas responded by inserting Angel Rodriguez, who played up front with Molina and allowed the Madrid side to penetrate more deeply into Levante's area.

The home club, however, lacked the scoring precision to get the ball past Oier.

With its third win of the season, Levante has provisionally climbed to 10th in the standings with 10 points.

Getafe is currently in 13th place with nine points but could fall further in the table depending on the results of the remaining Matchday 8 contests.

--IANS

kk/sed