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Barcelona defeated Real Betis 5–2 at La Cartuja on Saturday, maintaining a perfect start to the La Liga season with 27 points from nine matches and 39 goals scored, according to Estadão. Gabriel Jesus scored, while Lamine Yamal added a goal in a match featuring a disallowed Betis equalizer and a red card.
Real Betis leveled the score at 1–1 in the 27th minute through Valentu00edn Gu00f3mez, UOL reported. Following a corner kick, the ball traveled across the penalty area and found Pablo Fornals, who lofted it back into the danger zone for Gu00f3mez to head home over Xavi Espart, as detailed by Trivela.
The hosts thought they had equalized again before the break when Giovani Lo Celso struck a powerful volley from the intermediate zone into the top corner of Joan García’s goal. However, referee intervention via VAR ruled the goal out due to a handball by Cucho Hernández in the midfield during the buildup.
Gabriel Jesus found the net twice within two minutes early in the second half, though only one goal stood. His initial effort in the 5th minute of the half was flagged for offside. Less than a minute later, the Brazilian forward broke through legally after a rapid transition initiated by Yamal, who collected the ball on the right wing and rolled it across for Jesus to tap into an empty net.
Betis responded two minutes later to narrow the deficit to 3–2 when Abde Ezzalzouli collected a pass in space behind Barcelona’s defensive line and finished into the bottom left corner. Barcelona players protested a foul in the buildup on Fermu00edn López, who remained down on the turf. The ensuing scuffle saw Yamal get into an argument, culminating in Facundo Bernal receiving a red card for a headbutt on the young Barcelona winger.
Manager Hansi Flick’s side leaned heavily on dead-ball situations to secure the result in Seville, with half of their goals originating from set pieces against a Betis side that repeatedly tested Barcelona’s high defensive line (Trivela). Héctor Bellerín notably missed an opportunity to level the score shortly before Barcelona’s second goal, forcing a save from Joan García after a swift counterattack left him with an open look at goal.
Yamal added to his growing highlight reel during the contest, drawing widespread media attention and comparisons to Brazilian star Neymar for his creative dribbling and flair in tight spaces (Lance!). The victory pushes Barcelona’s goal tally to 39 across nine league fixtures, maintaining a scoring average above four goals per match under Flick (Estadão).
Barcelona travels next to face Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League, followed by a domestic clash against Real Madrid in El Clásico on Sunday (Estadão). Real Betis, which remains on 19 points in the standings, will seek recovery against Celta Vigo at Balaídos on Sunday (Estadão).