Real Betis vs Barcelona, La Liga: Final Score 2-4, Ferran Torres scores

Three huge points and an impressive attacking display

• By
  
  Renato Gonçalves
  
• on January 21, 2024 8:33 pm

Barcelona will finish the weekend in third place in La Liga and remain alive in the title race thanks to a highly entertaining 4-2 win over Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín on Sunday evening. The Blaugrana played an amazing first half and built a two-goal lead, but imploded at the back and conceded twice in quick succession in the second half before mounting a late surge to score twice more and escape Seville with three giant points.

FIRST HALF

The opening 45 minutes were by far the best we saw from the Blaugrana in months, with Xavi Hernández’s squad looking like a cohesive and creative attacking unit while dominating possession and not allowing Betis any joy on the counter. The home team was forced to defend close to their box for the entire half, and other than an early chance missed by Luiz Henrique they did nothing to threaten the Catalans.

Barça had all of the ball but seemed to have a real plan to confuse the Betis defense, with the pieces constantly moving in the final third and players making decisive runs and passes in behind the Verdiblancos backline. That’s how the first goal came about: Ilkay Gündogan tried to switch the play from right to left but his pass was deflected right onto the path of Pedri, who had time to look up and give Ferran Torres the easiest of tap-ins in the six-yard box to put Barça in front.

The Blaugrana kept pressing and did an excellent job out of possession to recover the ball quickly, and they continued to move the ball well and create chances to double the lead. Lamine Yamal came the closest to scoring the second goal with a gorgeous effort that hit the inside of the post but somehow didn’t go in, and Robert Lewandowski had the ball in the back of the net after a pass from Ferran but the goal was ruled out for a very narrow offside on the Pole in the buildup.

The halftime whistle came to end 45 minutes of impressive stuff by the visitors, but the narrow one-goal lead meant Barça still had work to do to confirm the victory in the second half.

SECOND HALF

Manuel Pellegrini made two halftime changes and his Betis side looked more intense and ready to press a little higher to try and find a way back in the game early in the final period, but they had no time to put any pressure on the Blaugrana: just three minutes into the half Barça doubled their lead after a gorgeous passing sequence down the right side that ended with a cross from Yamal that hit the post but fell perfectly to Ferran, who scored a gorgeous half-volley and gave the Catalans a crucial two-goal advantage.

But the visitors couldn’t maintain control of the game and allowed…