Barcelona were held to a 1-1 stalemate by a resilient Real Betis side on Saturday, yet still managed to widen their lead at the top of La Liga thanks to Real Madrid’s dramatic 2-1 defeat to Valencia earlier in the day. The Catalan giants are now four points clear of their arch-rivals in the title race.
Both Spanish heavyweights face crucial Champions League fixtures this week—Madrid travel to Arsenal on Tuesday, while Barcelona head to Dortmund on Wednesday night.
The Blaugrana made a bright start, carving open Betis in the seventh minute when Gavi tucked home from close range after a slick build-up. However, despite creating numerous opportunities, the home side failed to convert their dominance into goals.
Betis found an equalizer just nine minutes later as defender Natan Souza escaped his marker and nodded in a corner delivered by Giovani Lo Celso. From then on, Barcelona laid siege to the Betis goal, but were continually thwarted by a mix of determined defending, sharp goalkeeping from Adrian, and a string of near misses.
Wojciech Szczesny, largely untested, was finally called into action in the 88th minute to parry a long-range strike by Souza. Barcelona remained cautious to avoid a late sucker punch, eventually settling for a draw that, while disappointing, extended their advantage in the standings.
“We’re disappointed not to take all three points,” Gavi told Movistar. “We created plenty of chances, but couldn’t make them count. It feels like a missed opportunity.”
The result elevated Betis to fifth place in the table.