Levante slip up at ten-man Osasuna

Osasuna ended Levante's seven-match winning run with a deserved 2-0 victory to maintain their own unbeaten record at home this season. Alvaro Cejudo and Nino got the goals for the hosts in a four-minute spell just before half-time as Osasuna took advantage of some uncharacteristically sloppy Levante defending, and despite having Cejudo sent off for a second yellow card after the break, the hosts held on relatively comfortably. Arouna Kone and Ruben Suarez came close midway through the second half, but Levante's need to play on the counter-attack was exposed as Osasuna sat very deep and made it extremely difficult for the visitors to break them down. Levante started the weekend as league leaders following a remarkable run which had seen them take 23 points from a possible 27, and they started with the confidence expected of a side in such a lofty position. Kone had the first shot on target after nine minutes when a long-ball from Gustavo Munua found the Senegalese striker free down the right but his fierce effort from a narrow angle was well handled by Andres Fernandez. Asier Del Horno then nearly gave the visitors the lead, but his header from Jose Barkero's corner dropped just wide of Fernandez's left-hand post. Two minutes later Kone had Levante's best chance of the match as Juanlu headed a cross towards the back post, but the on-loan Sevilla striker could only direct his header wide. Osasuna, and in particular Cejudo, then began to take control of the match. The winger came close on two occasions - first his shot from distance was palmed away by Munua, before a wonderful run from inside his own half took him past two Levante defenders and into the box, but his shot was deflected away for a corner. On 40 minutes however, Cejudo got the luck his performance deserved when Vicente Iborra's poor clearance fell to him outside the area and his deflected shot screwed past Munua for the opening goal. The hosts were now well in the ascendancy and they doubled their lead before half-time as more poor defending from Levante saw Munua and Del Horno collide from Ibrahima Balde's flick-on and Nino was left with the simplest of finishes as he tapped into an empty net from six yards out. Cejudo had been booked for removing his shirt when he scored and the former Las Palmas man was sent off on 58 minutes when he unnecessarily tripped Barkero. Kone came closest to reducing the arrears when he shot narrowly wide despite being surrounded by three defenders and Ruben saw his free-kick bend just wide of the post as Levante slipped to their first defeat of the season. Victory for Osasuna rounds off a successful week for Jose Luis Mendilibar's men as they took seven points from their three games and now sit seventh in the table.