The Ciutat de València erupted after Kervin Arriaga made it 2-0 to Levante against Mallorca late on. The stadium was a cauldron of emotion as the home side took a giant step towards safety in La Liga's most dramatic relegation battle.
An Unlikely Hero
Luís Castro, a relatively unknown Portuguese coach, has presided over a remarkable turnaround at Levante. When he was appointed in December, the club were bottom of the table with just nine points from 14 games. Now, with one game remaining, they are 15th and almost certain to stay up.
Pablo Sánchez, Levante's president, admitted he had never heard of Castro before his appointment. 'I had heard of another Luís Castro but not this one,' he said. 'And this one turned out to be the ideal coach for our club.'
The other Luís Castro is a well-known manager who has coached at Shakhtar Donetsk and Grêmio. This Luís Castro, born 19 years later and 70km west, began his career coaching five-year-olds. He has no playing career to speak of, but his coaching journey has taken him from Benfica's Under-19s to Dunkerque in France, and now to Levante.
A Fight Against the Odds
Levante have the smallest salary limit in La Liga at €17.4m, compared to rivals with much larger budgets. They were newly promoted and looked destined for an immediate return to the second division. But Castro instilled belief and discipline.
'We were letting too many goals in transitions,' Castro told Cadena Ser. 'When we were attacking, we weren't ready to lose the ball.' He implemented a system with defined roles and non-negotiable tasks. The team stepped forward, opened the pitch, and pressed.
Since Castro took over, Levante have accumulated 32 points from 20 games, a run that would place them third in the league over that period. They have won seven of their last 12 matches, including three consecutive victories that pulled them clear of the relegation zone for the first time this year.
Key Victories
Two weeks ago, Levante were 2-0 down against Osasuna but came back to win 3-2. They repeated the trick against Celta, winning 3-2 after being behind twice. This weekend, they defeated Mallorca 2-0 at home, dragging their opponents into the relegation mire.
The turnaround has been built on clarity and honesty. Castro said: 'If the worst player has the best salary, it doesn't matter: he doesn't play.' He has benched their most expensive signing, Karl Etta Eyong, who scored five goals in his first 10 games but has not started any of the last 14. In his place, 20-year-old youth product Carlos Espí has emerged as the season's revelation, scoring nine goals in the last 12 games.
The Final Hurdle
Levante's chances of going down are now just 6%, according to Opta. They need only to avoid defeat at Betis on the final day to guarantee safety, unless a specific combination of results elsewhere creates a three-way tie on 42 points, in which case their inferior goal difference could see them relegated.
But Castro is not getting carried away. 'The numbers are good but if we don't finish it off we'll be left with a very bad feeling,' he said. 'They have 24 hours to enjoy this, as they always have when they win, and then we will get back to work. We can't think 'we're out', no, no, no. We're not safe yet and we won't look at the table, not until week 38. And it's still week 37.'
For now, Levante fans can dream. Their team, written off by everyone, are on the verge of a miraculous escape. And at the heart of it is a quiet, unassuming coach who has written his name into the club's history.
