Ifeanyi Ndukwe went from zero to hero to salvage a point for Levante on his first La Liga start. The 18-year-old Austrian defender scored in the 100th minute to seal a dramatic 3-3 draw against Sevilla at the Ciutat de València on Monday.
The night for the Liverpool loanee began in the worst possible fashion. In the 13th minute, a short back-pass to goalkeeper Joan Ryan was intercepted by Robbie Ure, who opened the scoring for the visitors. Ndukwe, however, did not let his head drop and played the full 90 minutes. The match exploded in stoppage time with three goals. Adrián de la Fuente equalised in the 91st minute, Isaac Romero seemed to win it for Sevilla in the 94th, and when all hope appeared lost, Ndukwe popped up in the box to tap in a rebound for 3-3 in the 100th minute.
The manager's reaction
Granotas boss Luís Castro defended his player after the final whistle. "Seeing how a player of his age who makes this mistake has played gives you an idea of what he can become," Castro said. "He is not the first and will not be the last to make an error that costs a goal." The manager praised the centre-back's mental strength, with Ndukwe having joined up after international duty with Austria's under-21 side.
The result leaves Levante 17th in La Liga, on 6 points from seven games. Castro's side has one win, three draws and three defeats, scoring 11 and conceding 15. The draw halts a poor run of form and provides a platform ahead of the next fixture.
The team now travels to face eighth-placed Deportivo La Coruña this Friday. With this point, Levante aim to steer clear of the relegation places.
Background and full detail: Mundo Deportivo
Manager Luís Castro confirmed on October 15th that defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe suffered a muscle strain in the match against Sevilla. The club reported the player will be out for approximately three weeks, ruling him out of several fixtures. "It's a blow, but we trust the rest of the group," Castro stated.
