Barcelona continued their impressive start to the La Liga season with a thrilling 5-2 victory over Real Betis at La Cartuja on Saturday, October 17, extending their winning run to nine matches.
Lamine Yamal starred with a goal and an assist as the league leaders overcame a spirited Betis side in an entertaining encounter filled with spectacular goals, a disallowed equaliser and a red card.
Barcelona took the lead in the 10th minute when Yamal produced a moment of brilliance, curling a superb effort from outside the penalty area into the top corner.
However, the visitors struggled to maintain control as Betis began exploiting spaces in their defence.
The hosts eventually drew level through Valentín Gómez, who headed home unmarked inside the box.
Joan Garcia then produced an excellent save to deny Héctor Bellerín as Betis threatened to take the lead.
Barcelona regained the advantage when Rodri headed home from a corner delivered by Fermín López, restoring the visitors’ lead before the interval.
Betis appeared to have equalised again through Giovani Lo Celso’s spectacular long-range strike, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review after Cucho Hernández handled the ball during the build-up.
The contest became even more dramatic after the restart as Barcelona increased their attacking intensity.
Gabriel Jesus initially had a goal disallowed for offside before finding the net again moments later, finishing a move involving Fermín and Yamal to put Barcelona 3-1 ahead.
Betis responded almost immediately, with Ez Abde breaking through the Barcelona defence before calmly slotting the ball past Garcia to reduce the deficit.
Tempers flared following the goal, resulting in a confrontation between players.
Facundo Bernal was subsequently shown a straight red card for headbutting Yamal, leaving Betis with 10 men.
Barcelona capitalised on their numerical advantage and restored their two-goal cushion when Eric Garcia finished from close range after Pau Cubarsí reacted quickest to a rebound from Yamal’s free-kick.
Dani Olmo then put the result beyond doubt with a superb strike from outside the penalty area in the 80th minute, completing Barcelona’s five-goal haul.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick also welcomed the return of Raphinha from injury, with the Brazilian introduced as a substitute during the closing stages.
There was, however, a late concern for the visitors as Eric Garcia appeared to suffer a muscle injury and was forced off, leaving both teams to finish the match with 10 players.
The final whistle confirmed another victory for Barcelona, who maintained their perfect league record with nine wins from nine matches.
The Catalan side will now turn their attention to their upcoming European assignment, while Betis will look to recover from a frustrating afternoon on home soil.
