This season, under the leadership of new coach Flick, Barcelona once achieved a dream start. However, as the schedule progressed, they gradually lost their magic and were surpassed by the Madrid duo on the La Liga leaderboard, dropping to third place. On this matchday, Barcelona, who had been frequently hindered in the league, faced the challenge of the Copa del Rey round of 16, hosting Real Betis at their home ground, Camp Nou. In this game, Barcelona continued their fiery form from the El Clasico, with teenage prodigy Yamar contributing a goal and an assist, while Gavi, Kounde, Rafinha, and Ferran Torres also found the net, ultimately helping Barca secure a 5-1 victory over Real Betis and advance to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey!
【Game Highlights】
Barcelona, who started high but then stumbled in La Liga, has been strong in domestic cup competitions. In the last three games, they first bloodied a lower-tier team with four goals away in the third round of the Copa del Rey, followed by a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals. In the final against arch-rival Real Madrid, they achieved a resounding 5-2 victory, claiming their first title of the season.
However, their opponent in this game, Real Betis, managed a 2-2 draw against Barcelona in the first leg of the season. To continue their three-game winning streak, Flick fielded most of his starters at Camp Nou, lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Pena in goal, Martin, Kubasi, Araujo, and Kounde in defense, double pivot of Pedri and De Jong in midfield, with Rafinha, Gavi, and Yamar lined up in midfield, and Olmo as the lone striker.
【Game Review】
As the referee blew the whistle, Barcelona launched wave after wave of attacks towards Betis' goal, cheered on by their home fans, and achieved a dream start in the 3rd minute. Olmo unselfishly laid off the ball in the frontcourt, and Gavi scored with a low shot in front of the goal, helping Barcelona take a 1-0 lead, which also set a record for the fastest goal in Gavi's career at 2 minutes and 42 seconds.
Subsequently, Olmo began his performance, creating chances in the 9th and 13th minutes, unfortunately without converting them into goals. His shot in the 20th minute was denied by the post. However, Barcelona, who kept attacking fiercely, expanded their lead in the 28th minute. Yamar's lobbed pass assisted Kounde, who burst into the penalty area and scored with a volley, doubling Barcelona's advantage. Before halftime, Kounde scored again, but it was ruled out for offside.
In the second half, Barcelona's attack did not diminish. In the 54th minute, teenage prodigy Yamar had a great chance for a half-breakaway, but unfortunately, he did not control his shot well, hitting the side netting and missing the opportunity to extend the lead. Although Yamar scored a goal one minute later, it was ruled out for offside again.
But in the 59th minute, Barcelona still extended their lead. After a successful defense, Barca quickly counterattacked, with Rafinha scoring from the left with a volley, extending the lead to 3-0 and ending all suspense about the outcome. In the 67th minute, substitute Ferran Torres added to the score, making it 4-0. Eight minutes later, Yamar also scored, completing a fine performance with a goal and an assist. Despite Betis scoring a late consolation goal, it could not change the outcome of a 1-5 defeat.
In two games within four days, Barcelona scored ten goals against their opponents, and the invincible Barca from the beginning of the season returned to the field. We look forward to them maintaining this momentum in La Liga and striving to defeat the Madrid duo to win the La Liga championship trophy.