Atletico Madrid 3-2 Levante: Gregorio Manzano's men edge out visiting side for vital win in late show

Three second half goals from Pizzi, Adrian, and Diego were enough for Atletico Madrid as the club narrowly defeated Levante 3-2 in La Liga action at the Vicente Calderon this evening.

The first half was a tense affair and devoid of any real goalscoring opportunities. It was the home side who controlled possession in the opening 45 minutes, but a lack of quality passing in the final third left both sides fairly comfortable in defense.

The match started to come to life around the half hour mark, with Atletico passing the ball at a higher tempo in the opposition half. The team came closest to scoring when Arda Turan tested the gloves of Gustavo Munua in the Levante goal with a fizzing shot from just outside the box but the goalkeeper did well to parry the ball away to safety.

There was drama five minutes before the break when Adrian dribbled dangerously in the Levante box only to take a heavy touch. Javier Farinos then slid in at the feet of the Spanish Under-21 striker and appeared to clip his heels. The Atletico players were furious when referee Pedro Montero waved the play on.

The match exploded into life in the 67^th minute when substitute Jose Antonio Reyes picked up the ball in midfield and drove towards the Levante defense before sliding a pass into the path of Pizzi and the striker on loan from Braga scored through the legs of Munua.

The lead was short lived however as Levante equalized just three minutes later. Jose Barkero took advantage of some poor defending from Luis Perea to get down the left wing and reverse a pass into the Atletico box for Xavi Torres who guided a shot into the right corner.

The home side quickly regrouped and was able to edge ahead again in the 75^th minute. Arda showed impressive determination and strength to drive down the right wing to get to the byline and chip a fantastic cross to the back post for Adrian who headed into the open goal.

Atletico killed the game off in the 82^nd minute when a misjudgement in the Levante penalty area from Javi Venta allowed Diego to take advantage and emphatically drive a shot into the bottom left corner.

The visiting side managed to grab a second goal seconds before the final whistle when Juanfran dribbled down the left wing and cut a pass back to Ruben Suarez who blasted the ball in the top corner. It was too late to impact the game however as the referee ended the match moments after the goal.

Atletico now finds itself in ninth place with 16 points taken from 12 matches. Levante remains in fourth place but has now lost three times on the bounce.

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