Barcelona demonstrated their dominance in La Liga with a convincing 4-0 victory over 10-man Real Betis on Saturday, taking them closer to their first league title since 2019. Despite Real Madrid’s 4-2 win over Almeria earlier in the day, which temporarily reduced the gap to eight points, Barcelona’s triumph ensured their lead returned to a comfortable 11 points.
At Camp Nou, Barcelona’s goals came from Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and a late own goal by Guido Rodriguez. Edgar Gonzalez’s early sending-off made it easier for Xavi Hernandez’s team to maintain their lead in the league, with only six games remaining in the season.
In an interesting tactical move, Xavi introduced 15-year-old forward Lamine Yamal as a substitute, making him the club’s youngest player to ever debut in La Liga. Barcelona fans also paid tribute to 41-year-old Joaquin Sanchez during his final appearance at Camp Nou before retiring at the end of the season, giving him a standing ovation.
The victory strongly responded to Barcelona’s 2-1 midweek defeat to Rayo Vallecano. Xavi praised his team, saying, “We generated a reaction. We improved a lot; it was a very good reaction from the whole team.” Christensen, brought into the starting lineup, immediately impacted by scoring the opening goal. Lewandowski added the second goal after receiving a low cross from Jules Kounde, taking his league goal tally to 19 for the season. Finally, Raphinha contributed the third goal with a clever run and finish from Sergio Busquets’ chipped pass.
Almost 90,000 home supporters witnessed Yamal’s debut as the game drew to a close. The young winger came close to scoring, but Rui Silva saved his shot. With their 11-point lead in La Liga, Barcelona are now closer than ever to securing their first title since 2019.
