Barcelona v Real Betis Live Commentary & Result, 29/04/2023, Primera División

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	BAR Barcelona	38	28	4	6	70	20	+50	88	L W L L W
2	RMA Real Madrid	38	24	6	8	75	36	+39	78	D W W L W
3	ATM Atlético Madrid	38	23	8	7	70	33	+37	77	D W D W L
4	RSO Real Sociedad	38	21	8	9	51	35	+16	71	W L W W D
5	VIL Villarreal	38	19	7	12	59	40	+19	64	D L W W W
6	BET Real Betis	38	17	9	12	46	41	+5	60	D W L D W
7	OSA Osasuna	38	15	8	15	37	42	-5	53	W L W L W
8	ATH Athletic Club	38	14	9	15	47	43	+4	51	D L L W L
9	MLL Mallorca	38	14	8	16	37	43	-6	50	W L W L W
10	GIR Girona	38	13	10	15	58	55	+3	49	L L D L D
11	RAY Rayo Vallecano	38	13	10	15	45	53	-8	49	L W L L L
12	SEV Sevilla	38	13	10	15	47	54	-7	49	L L D D W
13	CEL Celta de Vigo	38	11	10	17	43	53	-10	43	W L D L L
14	CAD Cádiz	38	10	12	16	30	53	-23	42	D W L W L
15	GET Getafe	38	10	12	16	34	45	-11	42	D W W D L
16	VAL Valencia	38	11	9	18	42	45	-3	42	D D L W W
17	ALM Almería	38	11	8	19	49	65	-16	41	D D L W L
18	VLD Real Valladolid	38	11	7	20	33	63	-30	40	D D W L L
19	ESP Espanyol	38	8	13	17	52	69	-17	37	D D D W L
20	ELC Elche	38	5	10	23	30	67	-37	25	D W D D W

That's all from Camp Nou today, so thank you for joining us and goodbye!

While Barca will tackle Copa del Rey finalists Osasuna on Tuesday, Betis take their faltering pursuit of a European return to Athletic Club next Thursday.

Barcelona stride one step closer to the title, as they capitalise on unending misfortune for Betis at Camp Nou to go 11 points clear at the top of La Liga. Down to 10 men and trailing by three goals at the break, the visitors were reduced to nine by Joaquin's injury during the second half, but battled bravely to keep the scoreline down as Barca dropped a few gears with the points already safe. There was even time for 15-year-old wunderkind Yamal to make his debut - and nearly score a late goal - and the Blaugrana are now within touching distance of becoming Spanish champions.

90' + 4' FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 4-0 REAL BETIS

90' + 4' With the final kick of the game, Lewandowski curls a 20-yard free-kick through the defensive wall but straight into the gloves of Silva.

90' + 2' Lewandowski tries to clip a pass through a crowded part of the pitch, but blocking the ball with an outstretched elbow, Montoya concedes a free-kick on the very edge of the Betis box.

90' A delightful dinked ball by Yamal picks out Dembele's run towards the penalty spot, but as the Frenchman tries to steer it to Lewandowski for a tap-in, he makes insufficient contact and the chance evaporates.

88' Montoya makes his way back onto the field after receiving treatment for a knock, which is just as well for Betis, who were temporarily down to eight men.

86' SHARP STOP! Almost causing a sensation, teenage sub Yamal slips through on the left side of the area and then prods the ball goalwards. Silva reacts well, though, completing a save low down at his near post! What a story that would have been!

85' SAVE! Silva reaches up to his right to palm over a firm drive from the edge of the box by Lewandowski, and Barca must settle for a corner. It was well struck, but placed too centrally.

Lamine Yamal

Gavi

83' History is made, as 15-year-old prodigy Yamal makes his Barcelona debut. He's now the Catalan club's youngest-ever debutant. Eighteen-year-old Gavi makes way.

G. Rodríguez

Own Goal

82' BARCA HAVE FOUR! A surging run to the byline from Ansu Fati leaves William Carvalho for dead, then his sharp low cross is diverted past Silva by Rodriguez, who is desperately trying to keep the ball out of his net! Via an own goal, then, it's 4-0 to Barca!

81' To generous applause, Joaquin limps off. However, Betis have no more substitutions available and are therefore down to nine men!

79' Disappointingly, Joaquin's final Camp Nou appearance will come to its end before the final whistle. The Betis legend has picked up a muscular injury stretching for the ball and looks likely to come off.

77' Relieving some pressure on the visitors' weary back line, Fati is penalised for a foul on Montoya inside the Betis box when the ball is bouncing around dangerously.

Juanmi

Sergio Canales

75' Pellegrini makes his final change, as Canales is replaced by Juanmi, who has recovered from illness to make a brief cameo.

O. Dembélé

Raphinha

73' To a warm welcome from the Blaugrana faithful, Dembele completes his comeback from injury; Raphinha will make way.

F. Kessié

Pedri

73' Barca make two further substitutions. First, Kessie replaces Pedri in midfield.

72' An opportunistic strike from distance sees Raphinha pull his shot well wide of the right-hand post - that could be his last contribution of the match.

70' Dembele is among those men still warming up on the sidelines for Barcelona, and a ripple of applause resounds around Camp Nou when Xavi ushers the French winger towards the touchline.

68' MISS! After Montoya allows the ball to drop over his head from a dipping cross, Ansu Fati picks up possession and earns a corner. Then, Kounde flicks the ball on from the resulting set-piece and Araujo can only steer it wide!

66' Silva races from his line to cut out a dangerous outside-of-the-foot throughball by Ansu Fati from the left flank, with Raphinha desperately trying to reach it before the Betis goalkeeper.

Joaquín

Juan Miranda

64' Receiving a warm round of applause from Camp Nou, veteran winger Joaquin also arrives from the bench, and Miranda departs.

Abner

Ayoze Pérez

63' Two more changes for the away side. First, Perez is replaced by Abner.

63' A smart reverse ball by Pedri is perhaps too clever for Raphinha, who reacts a little too slowly and can't quite connect with it inside the Betis box.

61' From 25 yards out in a central position, Raphinha decides against shooting from a free-kick on this occasion. Instead, he stands a ball up for Araujo in the box, but the defender's nod-down is eventually cleared away from danger by the Betis defence.

Ansu Fati

F. de Jong

59' De Jong also makes way, as Ansu Fati is offered half-an-hour to impress.

Marcos Alonso

A. Christensen

59' Scorer of the opening goal upon his return from injury, Christensen is now withdrawn by Xavi; Marcos Alonso will be his replacement.

57' OFF THE POST! Following Pedri's pass, Lewandowski misses a golden chance to score his 20th league goal of the season, as he mishits a low shot against the woodwork when clear through on goal!

55' Perhaps easing off a little - at least subconciously - Barcelona are becoming more careless in possession, as several attacking moves break down in their early stages.

53' SAVE! Against the run of play, a combination between Miranda and Perez on the left side of Barca's box opens up a half-chance for the former, and the full-back's firm shot from a tight angle is kept out by Ter Stegen at the near post!

51' Virtually assured of victory today, Barcelona will remain one of three teams to have not suffered a home defeat this season throughout the top five European leagues, alongside Union Berlin and Bayern Munich.

49' At a more subdued tempo than before the break, Barca are bossing the ball with ease now; to a man, Betis sit back inside their defensive third.

47' Making a run to the near post to reach Raphinha's outswinging cross, Lewandowski sees his flicked effort deflected behind for a corner by Pezzella.

P. Akouokou

Luiz Henrique

46' Another change at the break sees Luiz Henrique withdrawn by Pellegrini, and Akouokou comes on to bolster the Betis midfield.

46' Barcelona kick off, and we are back under way at Camp Nou!

Holding a commanding lead at the interval today, Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 32 La Liga matches when leading at half-time, dating back to April 2021. They also have a record of 15 wins and no losses when ahead at the break this season - it would truly take a miracle for Betis to get anything from this game now.

A calamitous first half for Real Betis has seen their chances of repeating last season's Camp Nou victory evaporate entirely, as Barcelona have streaked into a three-goal lead against their 10-man visitors. First, Luiz Felipe was withdrawn from the Seville side's defence due to injury, then his replacement was soon sent off for two bookable offences. That offered Barca the time and space to extend their advantage and effectively seal the win with 45 minutes left to play.

45' + 5' HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 3-0 REAL BETIS

45' + 4' Yet again, a perceptive pass from Busquets is aimed at Raphinha in the area, but the latter stumbles on the ball and Barcelona must make do with another corner.

45' + 2' Barca are in no hurry now, as they retain possession under little pressure from a dispirited Betis side. Half-time can't come soon enough for Los Verdiblancos.

45' As five minutes of stoppage time are indicated, Busquets overhits a pass to Raphinha inside the box and Betis escape.

43' Pezzella fires a left-footed shot from the edge of the box wide of the right-hand post, as Betis forlornly seek a way back into the game.

41' An interminable VAR decision may have eaten into the first half there, but the right decision was eventually reached and Barcelona have effectively secured all three points before the break.

Sergio Busquets

Assist

39' A clever low pass by Busquets picks out Barcelona's third goalscorer of the game, Raphinha, on the left side of the area.

Raphinha

Goal

39' 3-0 TO BARCELONA! Raphinha's controls Busquets' throughball into the Betis box, then lifts the ball over Silva and into the net! Following a lengthy VAR check, the on-field officials to rule his goal out for offside is then overturned! The home side are running away with this!

39' GOAL RULED OUT! Denied by a late flag from the assistant referee, Raphinha's celebrations are cut short after latching on to Busquets' throughball turning the ball into the net past Silva. However, the VAR is taking a good long look at this - could the decision be overturned?

J. Koundé

Assist

36' Advancing down the right into space, Kounde finds Lewandowski with a precise low pass.

R. Lewandowski

Goal

36' BARCA STRIKE AGAIN! Clinically, the Blaugrana extend their lead straight after Betis go down to 10 men: Lewandowski converts into the bottom-left corner from a low Kounde cross and it's 2-0! He now needs just one more to reach 20 goals in his first La Liga season.

35' Though the referee's decision to send Edgar off seems pretty clear-cut, Pellegrini is also shown a yellow card on the touchline, having shown some uncharacteristic dissent towards the officials.

33' Remarkably, Edgar is given his marching orders! Having only arrived from the bench as an early substitute, the Betis defender hacks down Pedri and receives a second booking in the space of a few minutes. The visitors are down to 10 men!

31' After Pezzella gets on the front foot to steal the ball in midfield, Willian Jose unleashes a low shot across the sodden turf, but it zips well wide of the left-hand post.

29' With his team already trailing today, Pellegrini has lost 12 of his last 13 games against Barcelona in La Liga. Betis have had only one shot at goal so far - can they somehow stage a comeback in the final hour?

27' After cutting in from the right, Raphinha then opts for another ambitious pop at goal, but his effort spirals way over the crossbar - to the apparent frustration of his team-mates in the Betis box.

25' SAVE! Diving low to his right, Silva holds onto a rather tame free-kick by Raphinha from around 25 yards out - it was well placed but lacked sufficient power.

Edgar González

Yellow Card

24' Only on as a substitute following Luiz Felipe's injury, Edgar is shown a yellow card after trying to regain the ball from Raphinha and instead up-ending the Barcelona winger.

22' Having scored the opener for his side, Christensen now makes a vital contribution at the other end of the pitch, as he denies Luiz Henrique space to shoot cleanly from the left side of Barca's box.

20' Luiz Henrique is left isolated when receiving the ball up front, but he retains possession and plays in Miranda, who curls over a low cross. At his near post, Ter Stegen grasps it gratefully after Canales narrowly misses getting a boot on it.

18' A rare foray forward for Betis is halted by the assistant's raised flag, as Pezzella tries a throughball but Luiz Henrique is caught offside.

16' That goal - Christensen's first for the club - is just reward for Barcelona's dominance of the game so far, as they had 74 per cent of possession over the opening 15 minutes.

Raphinha

Assist

14' Raphinha provides a pinpoint delivery from near the right touchline, landing the ball on Christensen's head to open the scoring.

A. Christensen

Goal

14' BARCA LEAD! From an inswinging corner, Silva is forced to punch the ball clear from under his crossbar. Then Pedri feeds Raphinha, who slings over an inviting right-wing cross which is met by a powerful downward header by Christensen; it bounces into the back of the net and the Blaugrana go 1-0 up!

Edgar González

Luiz Felipe

12' Sadly for Luiz Felipe, his game is brought to a premature conclusion by injury; Edgar will replace him in the visitors' back four.

11' Sprinting into space, Raphinha tries to pick out Lewandowski with a return pass from the right side of the box, but he fails to pick out his colleague with a rushed ball across the area.

9' A long crossfield ball by Araujo picks out Balde on the left touchline, but the latter's cutback is cleared away. Nevertheless, that's already the third time the young full-back has posed a threat high up on that flank.

7' Caught between passing and taking a snap-shot, Lewandowski ends up essentially doing neither and instead prods the ball weakly at Silva from the edge of the area.

5' Barca have now settled into their familiar passing rhythm, but an attempted throughball by De Jong finds Pedri in an offside position; ending a slick move through the thirds.

3' Amid a fast-paced start to the game, both sides have been a little careless in posession and neither has been able to take control as yet.

1' Betis kick off, and we are under way in the Catalan capital!

The players are all out on the pitch at Camp Nou, and kick-off is now just moments away!

Meanwhile, Pellegrini makes three changes, as Montoya comes in for Ruibal, and Luiz Henrique and Willian Jose also return to the starting XI; Guardado and Rodri drop out. Though Borja Iglesias remains absent, Juanmi is back in the fold and takes a place on the Betis bench.

Xavi responds to his team's midweek defeat by bringing both Christensen and Busquets in from the start - the latter will take the captain's armband - while Dembele, who has been out injured since January, now features on the Barcelona bench. However, Sergi Roberto is still sidelined by a hamstring problem.

SUBS: Claudio Bravo, Dani Martin, Abner Vinicius, Andres Guardado, Juan Cruz, Juanmi, Aitor Ruibal, Edgar Gonzalez, Joaquin, Paul Akouokou, Rodrigo Sanchez.

REAL BETIS (4-2-3-1): Rui Silva; Martin Montoya, German Pezzella, Luiz Felipe, Juan Miranda; William Carvalho, Guido Rodriguez; Luiz Henrique, Sergio Canales, Ayoze Perez; Willian Jose.

SUBS: Arnau Tenas, Inaki Pena, Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia, Ansu Fati, Jordi Alba, Pablo Torre, Marcos Alonso, Lamine Yamal, Franck Kessie.

BARCELONA (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Gavi.

Before taking to the field today, Real Betis sit fifth in La Liga, nine points adrift of fourth-placed Real Sociedad in pursuit of a first top-four finish since 2005. Recent results have compromised their chances of Champions League football, as Manuel Pellegrini's men have won only one of their last five league games. Betis held La Real to a goalless draw on Tuesday, but will now aim for a repeat of the outcome when they last visited Camp Nou: a 1-0 victory in December 2021. However, the Seville side have lost their last two league meetings with Barcelona, including a 2-1 defeat in this season's reverse fixture.

After getting the better of in-form Atletico Madrid last Sunday, Barcelona suffered a 2-1 loss at Rayo Vallecano in midweek, as their inconsistent spell continues. Nonetheless, ahead of today's game, they are eight points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table with a game in hand. Despite winning just one of their last five fixtures in all competitions and taking five points from the last 12 available in La Liga, the Blaugrana have the best home record in Spain's top flight this season, picking up 39 points from 15 matches to date.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of today's La Liga clash between Barcelona and Real Betis at Camp Nou!

Barcelona v Real Betis Live Commentary, 29/04/2023

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