
<p>Barcelona defeated Real Betis on the road on Wednesday evening. The result, a victory on the road over a side competing for European qualification, is a massive boost for Xavi’s side. However, the game was a tight one, just as it was between the two in January at the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/barcelona-survives-betis-to-set-up-clasico-in-supercopa-20230112-WST-415377.html">Supercopa de España semifinal</a>.</p>



<p>Barcelona entered the game with a five-point cushion of Real Madrid. Therefore, this game afforded the Catalan club a chance for more space between the two rivals. Barcelona took advantage. </p>



<p>For much of the game, Barcelona was the better side. Gavi, now officially registered as a first-team player donning the No. 6, linked well with Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets in the midfield. Even though Barcelona, as usual, held on to most of the ball, Betis prevented any scoring in the first half. By the same token, Barcelona nullified any sniff of its own goal from Betis.</p>



<p>However, the game opened up in the second half. That applies to both the scoresheet and the controversy.</p>



<h2>Barcelona and Betis heat up for drama</h2>



<p>Despite Barcelona looking dominant for the first hour of the contest, one player seemed out of place. Raphinha, unfortunately out of form and confidence, never seemed to get a grasp on the game. </p>



<p>Then, in the 65th minute, Alejandro Balde provided the antidote by giving the Brazilian a tap in to open the game. However, the start of the move for Barcelona drew serious ire from Betis and its supporters. A foul on Gavi stopped play, but the ball rolled away from the spot of the infraction. Frenkie de Jong, ever the opportunist, started play quickly, feeding a ball down the wing to Balde. Yet, when de Jong took the free kick, he was a good 10 yards away from where Gavi went down in the first place. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Raphinha taps it in from close range! <a href="https://t.co/AomIODRcJ2">pic.twitter.com/AomIODRcJ2</a></p>— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1620896536917057536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Robert Lewandowski took some of the steam out of the game with a goal in the 80th minute. In true goal poacher’s fashion, the Polish international pounced on a loose ball from a corner and tucked it past Real Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva.</p>



<p>Betis was not done though. Still angered by the referee decisions not going their way, Betis pushed forward. In the 85th minute, Betis forced the ball over the line for a goal. Youssof Salaby launched a searching ball in from the right side. Jules Koundé, working as Barcelona’s right back, had the ball <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPlus/status/1620901549554958336" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deflect off his body</a> and into the goal. The Frenchman was simply unprepared for the ball to get that far.</p>



<h5>A key victory</h5>



<p>Betis halving the deficit certainly made the last 10 minutes tense. Through a wave of whistling supporters, Barcelona held on to victory. It is the side’s fourth-straight one-goal win. The previous three were all 1-0 shutouts. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Barcelona in LaLiga this season 👀<br><br>✓ Top of the league<br>✓ 50 out of 57 points won<br>✓ 39 goals scored<br>✓ 7 goals conceded<br>✓ Best goal differential (+32)<br>✓ 8 points clear at the top<br><br>Xavi is working his magic ✨ <a href="https://t.co/HwTBORIzc2">pic.twitter.com/HwTBORIzc2</a></p>— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1620909057635762176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>At the halfway point in the domestic season, Barcelona is flying. Fifty points, two draws and one loss are enough to have a cushion over Real Madrid. Granted, <em>Los Blancos </em>have played one less game than Barcelona. Still, Barcelona has the most goals scored and by far the fewest goals conceded. Barcelona has seven goals against through 19 games. Three of those were in the club’s only loss of the season, at Real Madrid.</p>



<p>Real Madrid is in action tomorrow on <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a>, while Barcelona’s next game is a home contest against a struggling Sevilla side. Betis will look to get back to form on Sunday, when it hosts Celta Vigo.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / CordonPress</em></p>


Barcelona and Betis played out a thriller on Wednesday, just like they did in January during the Supercopa de España semifinal.

Barcelona bounces Betis to go eight points clear over Real


<p>Barcelona and Real Betis played out a thriller in their Supercopa de España semifinal tie. Sensational goals, a red card, VAR decisions and penalties provided all the drama a cup tie should have. </p>



<p>In the end, Barcelona narrowly escaped Real Betis in a penalty shootout. The 2-2 scoreline after 120 minutes led to Barcelona winning the spot kicks, 4-2</p>



<p>Now, Barcelona takes on Real Madrid in the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/el-clasico-on-usa-tv-streaming-real-madrid-vs-barcelona/">first Clásico of the season</a>. That game is Jan. 15 from King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.</p>



<p>Despite Barcelona’s talent, Betis forced a back-and-forth game. For the beginning portion of the game, Barcelona dominated possession, as it often does. The reward for holding the ball was putting it in the net. Pedri plucked the ball into the net past former Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. However, upon video review, Raphinha had, literally speaking, a toe offside in the buildup to the play. As a result, the game remained scoreless. </p>



<p>However, Ousmane Dembele did well to set up Robert Lewandowski before the break. The striker, who is currently suspended from LaLiga play, got his own rebound to break the deadlock.</p>



<p>Then, in the second half, Real Betis came out the far better of the two sides. Manuel Pellegrini’s side found an equalizer in the 77th minute. Luiz Henrique passed on to a waiting Nabil Fekir, who slotted home past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.</p>



<h5>Extra time fireworks</h5>



<p>Both sides scored sumptuous goals in the second half. Ansu Fati scored a volley from 16 yards out to the far post to give Barcelona the edge again.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ANSU FATI WITH A BEAUTIFUL FINISH ON THE VOLLEY 🎯 <a href="https:\/\/t.co/9ffGjylwxm">pic.twitter.com/9ffGjylwxm</a></p>— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1613643752706539522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Then, just after the century mark, Loren Moron scored a backheel goal to pull Betis level again. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who played a hero role for much of the game, was dumbfounded by Loren’s attempt.</p>



<h2>Marc-Andre ter Stegen the hero for Barcelona against Betis in Supercopa</h2>



<p>If one goal made ter Stegen look silly in the 120 minutes, the German goalkeeper recaptured the headlines in the spot kicks. Barcelona’s shot-stopped made two saves on Betis’s third and fourth kicks. For Barcelona, conversions from Lewandowski, Franck Kessié, Ansu Fati and Pedri were enough as Barcelona won the penalty shootout, 4-2.</p>



<p>Barcelona’s reward is a game against its most bitter rivals. Real Madrid, like Barcelona only escaped with a win on penalties against Valencia in its semifinal fixture. The two are the <a href="https:\/\/www.laliga.com/en-GB/laliga-santander/standing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">top of the table</a> in Spain, even if this has no implication for that competition.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / </em>Marca</p>


Barcelona and Betis went the distance in their Supercopa de España semifinal, with sensational goals coming on both sides.

Barcelona survives Betis to set up Clásico in Supercopa

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