La Liga clash postponed minutes before kick-off after tunnel flooded by torrential rain

Levante's home clash against Athletic Club in La Liga was postponed following heavy rainfall in Spain

The La Liga match between Levante and Athletic Club was forced to be postponed on Wednesday night following heavy rainfall. The two clubs were set to go head-to-head at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, but the game was abandoned just minutes before kick-off.

Both teams had named their starting line-ups for the match, with Levante starting Liverpool loanee Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who joined the Spanish club in the summer on loan for the remainder of the season.

Liverpool signed Ndukwe from Austria Vienna back in January for £2.6million and the 18-year-old centre-back was sent on loan to Levante to gain valuable first-team experience.

However, heavy rainfall in the Valencia area resulted in the match being abandoned just minutes before kick-off was scheduled to take place at 9.30pm local time.

Athletic Club posted a video on social media of several of their players, including Nico Williams, reacting as the rainfall flooded the tunnel.

Levante also posted a photo on their official X account of the tunnel at the home stadium being flooded with rainwater.

"The LALIGA EA SPORTS match between Levante UD and Athletic Club, scheduled for tonight at 9:30 PM, has been postponed due to heavy rainfall and the poor condition of the pitch," Levante's statement read. "The new date and time for the match will be announced shortly by the official organisers.

"From 9:15 PM onwards, the storm intensified considerably over the Orriols stadium area, flooding the pitch. Due to the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, the match was officially suspended at 9:30 PM.

"The Levante fans have been leaving the stands in an orderly fashion to take refuge in the lower levels of the stadium, where they waited for the intensity of the rain to subside so they could leave the premises safely.

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"Following the confirmation of the suspension, Levante UD's sporting director, Héctor Rodas, appeared before the media in the mixed zone to detail what happened on the pitch and explain the factors that made it impossible to play football, prioritising at all times the safety of the athletes and the fans.

"Levante UD deeply regrets any inconvenience this suspension may have caused to our season ticket holders and fans."

It now remains to be seen when a new date for the fixture will take place, with Athletic Club also issuing a statement of their own after the postponement was confirmed.

Their statement read: "Following the necessary checks by @LaLiga and the officiating team, the decision has been made to suspend the #LevanteUDAthletic match due to adverse weather conditions at the Ciutat de València."

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