Barca Thrash Betis to Extend Perfect Start

Hansi Flick’s dominant Barcelona routed 10-man Real Betis 5-2 on Saturday at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville to restore a five-point lead at the top of La Liga.

Teenage winger Lamine Yamal opened the scoring with a brilliant 10th-minute curled strike, before Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia, and Dani Olmo added goals to seal Barca’s 11th consecutive victory across all competitions.

The win set a new club record for consecutive league victories to start a campaign and equalled the all-time Spanish record of nine held by Real Madrid since 1968.

Betis equalised before the half-hour mark through a Valentin Gomez header, but Barca swiftly regained control.

Rodri headed home from a corner before Jesus extended the lead early in the second half following Yamal’s cut-back.

Although Ez Abde pulled one back for Betis, the hosts fell to 10 men moments later when Facundo Bernal received a straight red card for headbutting Yamal.

Reflecting on the team’s balance, Rodri noted, “Once again the team has shown its attacking potential, but it’s also true we’re giving quite a bit away, and that’s probably where the improvement has to come from too.”

Barca capitalised on the numerical advantage as Garcia and substitute Olmo capped off the scoring in the closing stages.

The Catalan giants now shift their focus to Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain before hosting Real Madrid in El Clasico next weekend.

Defending their performance despite the scoreline, Betis defender Hector Bellerin stated, “Facing a team like this, with this quality, we stood up to them until the final minutes. We showed that with 11 players we’re able to compete against the best.”