Twenty days after the clash of the Supercup of Saudi Arabia, where the Catalans won on penalties, they found themselves, but for La Liga. Without Claudio Bravo, the Verdiblancos lost 1-2 to the Spanish football leader.
Betis, face to face with Barcelona. Once again. Twenty days after their clash in the Spanish Super Cup, in Saudi Arabia, where the Catalans won on penalties, they found themselves, but for La Liga. In an unresolved duel, corresponding to the 17 date, Manuel Pellegrini’s team fell with the pointer. It was 2-1 for the Catalans. Claudio Bravo was a substitute in the local team. The position belonged to Rui Silva.
In Heliópolis, they were aware of the complexity of the rival, considering that the azulgranas are the leaders of the Spanish tournament, in an inch-by-inch battle with Real Madrid for the crown. In the previous one, the Engineer said dueling was “more difficult, impossible”. In turn, Xavi praised his South American colleague. In the same way, the option of the béticos was to win and therefore to attack in the qualifying zone for the Champions League.
The national coach sent the best he had to the playing field. Borja Iglesias was the offensive benchmark, with support behind the Luiz Henrique-Canales-Fekir trio. The first half was intense, with Barcelona slightly deeper than the Andalusians. Xavi’s side had 65% possession of the ball in the initial period. However, Neither team took a shot on goal, reflecting the lack of precision in the final meters.
Betis’ first approach came in the 10th minute, with a deflected shot from Brazilian Luiz Henrique. Later, at 32′, Sergio Canales had it, but his shot hit a rival. Zero was stuck in the Benito Villamarín stadium.
The complementarity starts and Barcelona almost opens the score by Pedri, but his shot is repelled by Rui Silva (48th). The tone of the meeting did not change too much. The culés continued with hegemonic possession of the ball, while Betis did not attack in the best way. At 55′, they got closer to a shot from Fekir that Ter Stegen controlled.
Barca were close, until he struck in the 65th minute. Brazilian Raphinha put the first for the visit, chaining a low cross from Balde at the far post. They quickly played a free kick and hit him. The béticos claimed it from the referee, but nothing happened.
The downside suggested Betis would be looking higher, but Pellegrini’s plan remained cautious. During the second stretch, he made all five changes, but they were all position for position. Nothing too bold. In the 80s, Culé made it 2-0, thanks to Robert Lewandowski, after a corner. It seemed like the final blow of the game.
When it seemed the result was sealed, Five minutes from the end came the local handover, thanks to an own goal from Koundé. The 1-2 gave Betis a final push, but it wasn’t enough to find the tie.
In this way, Xavi’s Barcelona lead the Spanish league with 50 points, eight more than Real Madrid, who face a struggling Valencia this Thursday. For its part, Chilean Betis are in sixth position, with 31 points, three behind fourth (Atlético de Madrid) , which reaches the next Champions League. A rematch option for the Verdiblancos will be on Saturday, when they host Celta de Vigo.
follow on Jock
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
