Barcelona’s attacking juggernaut rolls on with 5-2 win at Betis
Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 in Seville in La Liga on Saturday, with Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo all scoring, as Hansi Flick’s side stayed five points clear at the top and made it 11 wins from 11 this season.
Betis started the better side, enjoying more possession and pushing Barcelona harder than the scoreline suggests. The visitors only settled once Yamal broke the deadlock in the 10th minute, exchanging passes with Jules Kounde before a deft back-heel and a curling finish into the top corner.
Valentin Gomez levelled in the 27th minute, heading in a set-piece after Betis had grown into the contest. The hosts kept pressing, and the match became an open, end-to-end contest, with both sides trading chances before the interval.
Rodri restored the lead in the 41st minute, rising to meet a Fermin Lopez corner and nodding into the bottom corner. It was his first goal for Barcelona, and it arrived at a key moment just before the break.
Controversy followed. Giovani Lo Celso struck a spectacular long-range effort that flew into the top corner, but the referee ruled it out for a handball by Cucho Hernandez at the start of the move. Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini was booked for his protests, and Barcelona led 2-1 at half-time.
The second half exploded into life. Jesus had a goal chalked off for offside in the 51st minute, then finished from close range in the 52nd after Fermin Lopez and Yamal combined, making it 3-1 and giving Barcelona a two-goal cushion.
Betis hit back within a minute. Abde Ezzalzouli finished a rapid counterattack with a low drive from outside the box, beating Joan Garcia, and the home crowd roared as the deficit was cut to 3-2.
Moments later, tempers flared. A confrontation involving Yamal and Facundo Bernal escalated, and Bernal was shown a straight red card for grabbing an opponent and pushing his head towards him. Yamal and Betis defender Diego Llorente were both booked as the referee restored order.
Barcelona exploited the extra man. Eric Garcia, back in the side after replacing Gerard Martin at the break, converted from close range in the 62nd minute after a Yamal free kick was blocked and Pau Cubarsi squared the ball.
Substitute Olmo then sealed the win in the 82nd minute, curling a right-footed shot into the bottom corner from outside the box. Nelson Deossa threatened a consolation from distance, but Betis could not find a way back.
Raphinha also returned from the bench, a timely boost four days before a tough Champions League meeting with Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona sit five points clear of Atletico Madrid and nine ahead of Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.