Levante ends Barca bid to go unbeaten

<p>Without Lionel Messi to save the day, Barcelona bid farewell to its quest to make history in Spain.</p>, <p>Barcelona lost 5-4 in a wild game at Levante on Sunday, ruining the champion’s chance to become the first team to finish a Spanish league season without a defeat under its current format.</p>, <p>Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde left Messi — the league’s leading scorer with 34 goals — out of his squad to rest ahead of a demanding summer for the Argentina striker at the World Cup.</p>, <p>The real trouble for Barcelona, however, came in defense.</p>, <p>Led by Emmanuel Boateng’s hat trick and two more goals from Enis Bardhi, host Levante was heading toward a historic rout by building a 5-1 advantage after 56 minutes.</p>, <p>But Barcelona roared back, with Philippe Coutinho adding two goals to his first-half strike to complete a hat trick before Luis Suarez converted a penalty to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the 71st minute. Suarez headed high from close range in Barcelona’s last chance to snatch the draw.</p>, <p>Barcelona’s upset by a modest Levante side which had to fight to stay out of the relegation zone most of the season came with just one match left.</p>