The Catalans hold on to their second spot on the table after beating Betis in a dramatic fashion.
Barcelona defeated Real Betis 2-1 in their La Liga game on Saturday. Jordi Alba’s last-minute goal bagged three crucial points for Barca in their battle for La Liga’s second spot.
Fati back to goalscoring ways!
Barcelona dominated the possession in the early stages of the first period but were not able to create enough goalscoring chances.
A goalless first half saw both sides hesitating to go all-in with their attacks, hoping to avoid conceding the opener. The game continued in a similar way after the interval, with Betis preventing Barca from finding spaces behind their backline.
However, Xavi Hernandez’s decision to bring in Ansu Fati changed the course of the game. The Spaniard converted Jordi Alba’s cross to break the deadlock with his second touch of the ball in the 76th minute.
However, the hosts scored the equalizer through Marc Bartra’s header only three minutes later. Nabil Fekir then had a excellent chance to win the game for Betis in the 81st minute, but he wasn’t able to complete his side’s comeback.
Barca intensified their attacks in the dying stages of the game and finally managed to snatch the match-winner through Alba in the 94th minute.
The experienced left-back unleashed an unstoppable volley as soon as he received Dani Alves’ cross from the left side of the box. A brilliant goal salvaged Barca’s night at the Benito Villamarin Stadium as the Catalans held on to their second place on the table.
What’s next for Barca?
The victory is enough to secure Barca’s presence in the next season’s Champions League. The Catalans, however, could still face competition from Sevilla for the second spot.
Xavi’s side must now prepare to lock horns with Getafe in their next league game on Tuesday.
Player Ratings
Real Betis: Bravo (6); Moreno (6), Bartra (7), Pezzella (6), Sabaly (5); Guardado (7), Rodriguez (7); Juanmi (5), Fekir (7), Canales (5); Iglesias (6).
Bench: Rodri (6), Carvalho (6), Silva (7).
Barcelona: Neto (7); Alves (6), Araujo (7), Garcia (5), Alba (8); De Jong (6), Busquets (7), Gavi (5); Dembele (6), Torres (7), Depay (5).
Bench: Fati (7), Puig (6), Traore (6), Aubameyang (6).
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