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Ousmane Dembele matches Lionel Messi as Barcelona fans hail 'Luuk de Goat' for last-gasp Levante win


 

Barcelona pair Ousmane Dembele and Luuk de Jong have taken their respective places in the headlines on Sunday evening.

Xavi Hernandez's troops of course marked their return to action a short time ago.

Amid a stellar spell of recent form, the Blaugrana made the trip to the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, hopeful of making it seven La Liga wins on the trot up against relegation-battling Levante.

And, when all was said and done, emerge with their latest three-point haul is precisely what the visitors managed.

This, though, only came owing to a last-gasp injury-time winner, on the back of a pulsating 90 minutes featuring five goals, three spot-kicks and a host of further presentable opportunities.

First on target for Barca was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who guided Xavi and co. level on the hour mark, before Pedri continued his fine individual spell in front of goal to turn the clash on its head just minutes later.

After Levante levelled things up from the penalty spot inside the game's closing ten minutes, though, it appeared as though the Blaugrana would be forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

But, cometh the hour, cometh the man...

As proceedings ticked over into time added on, a delicious whipped Jordi Alba delivery from the left was met by the head of Luuk de Jong, who made no mistake in nodding a picture-perfect header home at the near post, sparking jubilant celebrations amongst the visiting players and fans alike:

De Jong & Dembele starring

On the back of the action coming to a close at the Estadi Ciutat, it should therefore come as little surprise to hear of that man de Jong, once viewed as something of a running joke in Catalunya, take his place front and centre in the post-match chatter.

The social media reaction amongst Barcelona's supporters has proven a particular sight to behold, with de Jong's new nickname having come back to the fore in a major way:

Elsewhere, joining Barca's on-loan hitman in the headlines has been winger Ousmane Dembele.

French international Dembele, ahead of the expiration of his contract at the Camp Nou in the summer, has of course enjoyed a remarkable resurgence of late.

And such efforts continued on Sunday evening, as the former Borussia Dortmund man, in the process of teeing up Aubameyang's 2nd-half strike, joined one-time teammate Lionel Messi as the most prolific assist provider across Europe's top-5 leagues since the turn of the year:

Read more:

Dani Alves reveals Xavi’s ‘secret’ ahead of Levante vs Barcelona

Watch: Messi makes history with assist hat-trick as Mbappe & Neymar bag 3 goals each in PSG win

 

Conor Laird

Conor Laird

Die-hard Juventus fan with a love for all things Italian, and a real soft spot for Arsenal cult heroes. Emmanuel Eboue, Nicklas Bendtner, Philippe Senderos... Give them all statues outside the Emirates.


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