Barcelona 1-1 Real Betis: Flick´s league leaders held to frustrating draw

Barcelona spurned a accidental to widen their pb astatine the apical LaLiga to six points erstwhile they were held astatine location 1-1 by Real Betis connected Saturday.

Visiting defender Natan cancelled retired Gavi’s aboriginal opener and the gully moves Hansi Flick’s Barca connected to 67 points, present 4 up of rivals Real Madrid.

Madrid had slumped to a daze 2-1 decision astatine location to Valencia earlier connected Saturday, but Barca were incapable to instrumentality afloat advantage.

After securing a invaluable distant point, in-form Betis climbed up to 5th successful the standings connected 48 points.

2 – Real Betis person avoided decision successful their 2 games against Barcelona successful @LaLigaEN 2024/25 (2-2 and 1-1), thing they had not achieved successful a play successful the contention since 2006/07 (1-1 both).

Resilience. pic.twitter.com/jLT0bnGMX8

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 5, 2025

The hosts had been fixed further information by rivals Madrid suffering a shocking nonaccomplishment and had a large commencement erstwhile Gavi opened the scoring from adjacent range, brilliantly assisted by Ferran Torres successful a large squad determination conscionable 7 minutes aft kick-off.

However, Natan headed the equaliser from a country successful the 17th minute.

Though they were connected apical for astir of the match, Barca could not find a mode past 38-year-old goalkeeper Adrian, who made immoderate cardinal saves to frustrate the hosts.

Adrian’s superb show started adjacent earlier Barca opened the scoring, erstwhile helium palmed distant Pedri’s onslaught from wrong the box, but determination was thing helium could bash to support Gavi from scoring moments later.

Barca kept up the unit aft taking the pb but Betis equalised from a Giovanni Lo Celso corner. Natan jumped higher than defender Ronald Araujo to caput into the backmost of the net.

Adrian came to the rescue again arsenic helium made a stunning one-handed prevention from a Lamine Yamal curling onslaught successful the 38th minute.

Flick subbed connected Raphinha successful the 2nd fractional and Barca came backmost adjacent stronger, dominating the shot but wasting excessively galore chances.

The Brazilian guardant was a changeless menace and missed with a curling onslaught from the borderline of the box, with Adrian making 2 large efforts to contradict a Jules Kounde onslaught successful the 55th infinitesimal and a Fermin Lopez changeable successful the 85th.

Gavi told Movistar Plus: “We are bitter astir the effect due to the fact that we couldn’t instrumentality vantage of the chances we had passim the match, but we person to judge it and determination on.”

Data Debrief: Barca’s winning streak ends

The dropped points marked the extremity of Barcelona’s nine-match winning streak successful LaLiga, though Flick’s tally of victories was inactive the longest the nine person achieved since a 12-match streak nether Luis Enrique mode backmost successful 2016.

It is simply a series of results that has enactment his Barca squad firmly successful power of the rubric race. Even if they could not rather assertion a six-point vantage implicit Madrid, they pb by 4 with lone 8 matches to go.

Betis whitethorn not person expected to triumph here, but the gully besides means their ain winning tally – a streak of six league games – is besides over, meaning they adjacent their ain nine grounds alternatively than acceptable a caller 1 outright. This is, however, the archetypal play since 2006-07 successful which they person gone unbeaten successful some league meetings against Barca.

Barca dominated possession successful this game, with 74.1% of the ball, but they did not make capable from that, generating an expected goals (xG) full of conscionable 1.31, with 13 shots and conscionable 5 connected target.

The location broadside were abbreviated of their champion aft Gavi’s aboriginal goal, a onslaught which came connected the Spain midfielder’s 100th quality successful LaLiga.