Barca play out draw with Betis to extend La Liga lead

IANS April 6, 2025 134 views

Barcelona extended their La Liga lead to four points after a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Betis at home. The match saw Gavi open the scoring early, but Natan quickly equalized for the visitors. Meanwhile, Real Madrid suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat against Valencia, with Vinicius Jr failing to convert an early penalty. The weekend's results significantly impacted the title race, with Barcelona maintaining their advantage despite not securing a comprehensive victory.

"We controlled most of the ball but lacked sharpness" - Likely Barcelona Coach
Madrid, April 6: FC Barcelona extended its lead at the top of La Liga to four points over Real Madrid, but missed the chance to give an almost definitive statement in the title race after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Betis.

Key Points

1

Gavi scores early for Barcelona

2

Natan equalizes for Betis

3

Real Madrid stunned by Valencia 2-1

4

Vinicius Jr penalty miss crucial moment

Gavi put Barca ahead in the seventh minute after an assist from Ferran Torres, but Natan's powerful header from a 17th-minute corner leveled the score for Betis.

Barcelona controlled most of the ball after the break, but the team playing its fourth game in 10 days lacked its usual sharpness in the Betis penalty area, while Betis also defended well to strengthen its case for a place in next season's Champions League, reports Xinhua.

Earlier in the day, Real Madrid was stunned by a 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia.

Vinicius Jr saw an early penalty saved by Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili after a very harsh decision by referee Cuadra Fernandez after Kylian Mbappe went down very easily.

Mouctar Diakhaby powered home a penalty that Real Madrid goalkeeper Fran Gonzalez could do nothing to save.

Vinicius leveled from close range after a cross from Jude Bellingham five minutes into the second half and Mbappe saw Mamardashvili make another excellent save, before Valencia caught Madrid flat-footed in the 94th minute with Hugo Duro scoring another header after a counter-attack.

There was still time for Mamardashvili to make another save in the 96th minute when Antonio Rudiger found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a long ball found him unmarked.

Celta fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 away to Mallorca, with Fer Lopez scoring a magnificent winner after Alfonso Gonzalez had cancelled out Martin Valjent's 17th-minute opener for the home side.

Alaves' survival hopes got an important boost thanks to Carlos Vicente's 61st-minute goal that assured a 1-0 win away over Girona.

Girona dominated possession and had more shots in the game, but some wayward finishing meant they only managed one effort on target in the 90th minute.

On Friday night Espanyol took a big step towards salvation with a 4-0 win away to Rayo Vallecano in what was its best display of the season.

Reader Comments

J
James T.
Not the result we wanted but still extending the lead! That's what matters most right now. Gavi is turning into such a key player for us 🔵🔴
M
Maria L.
Betis defended really well today. Credit where it's due - their organization was impressive. But Barca's finishing needs to be sharper if we want to secure the title.
R
Rahul K.
That Madrid loss to Valencia though 😳 What a weekend for Barca fans! Four point lead with the Clasico coming up... Visca Barça!
S
Sophie W.
The fatigue from so many games is showing. Xavi needs to rotate more - we can't keep running the same players into the ground. Otherwise great result considering Madrid dropped points!
T
Tomás G.
Mamardashvili was absolutely unreal for Valencia! That penalty save changed the whole game. Meanwhile, Barca just needs to keep grinding out results like this.
A
Aisha B.
I know people will complain about the draw, but Betis are a quality side this season. A point isn't terrible, especially with Madrid losing. On to the next one! 💪

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
La Liga Barcelona Real Madrid Gavi Ferran Torres Vinicius Jr Football
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