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La Liga cancels Levante-Atletic after storm floods tunnel

By Drooid · Sep 20, 2026, 2:08 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

La Liga Cancels Match

A storm flooded the tunnel, forcing the Levante-Athletic match to be abandoned.
La Liga cancelled the game five minutes after kickoff when officials saw knee-high water.
Barcelona defeated Racing 7-2, their highest-scoring game of the season.
Real Madrid edged Elche 3-2, with Mbappé scoring his eighth goal in seven matches.

Summary

Atletico hosts Real

Atletico Madrid will host Real Madrid in a La Liga derby on September 20, 2026 at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Atletico sit fourth while Real are second, with Real winning six of their seven games.
Atletico miss Pablo Barrios and doubt Julian Alvarez.
Real lack Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy.
Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias becomes the first Madrid-born referee to officiate the derby.

History

Historical Context

The 15 April 1989 Hillsborough crush, which killed 97 fans, prompted the Taylor Inquiry (31 days) and the 1990 Taylor Report that mandated all-seater stadiums and stricter crowd control. Those UK reforms set a precedent for modern safety checks, prompting Spanish authorities to order extensive tunnel inspections after a storm flooded the Levante-Athletic La Liga match, scheduling ten days of audits before the September derby.

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La Liga Cancels Match

A storm flooded the tunnel, forcing the Levante-Athletic match to be abandoned.
La Liga cancelled the game five minutes after kickoff when officials saw knee-high water.
Barcelona defeated Racing 7-2, their highest-scoring game of the season.
Real Madrid edged Elche 3-2, with Mbappé scoring his eighth goal in seven matches.

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