Captain Jose Morales netted a late penalty for newly promoted Levante to ensure a winning return to the Spanish top flight.
The Levante captain was clipped inside the box with two minutes of normal time remaining by Antonio Rukavina before coolly dispatching the spot kick into the bottom corner.
The Segunda champions rattled the woodwork at the end of the first half through debutant Alex Alegria before Alvaro Gonzalez’s header for the visitors was stopped on the line.
However 30-year-old Morales, now in his fifth season at Ciutat de Valencia, settled the game with two minutes remaining to separate the two sides who lie 60 miles apart.
