Betis also came up short against this unstoppable Barça side, which has won all 12 official matches it has played. As expected, it was a game with everything in it, pitting two teams in top form against each other. High tension, plenty of goals, plenty of controversy, and a red card that ultimately decided the match in Flick’s team’s favor. Betis fans are particularly upset about a goal by Lo Celso that was disallowed—which would have tied the score at 2-2—due to a handball that occurred well before the goal was scored. Lamine once again made the difference, though he left La Cartuja to boos after playing a key role in Facundo Bernal’s ejection.

The toughest match so far for Flick’s team began to take shape before the 10-minute mark when Lamine Yamal pulled off a spectacular goal to dash Betis’ hopes. He received the ball on the wing, shook off Facundo Bernal with a cutback, and fired a pinpoint left-footed shot into the top corner of Valles’ net. Betis didn’t give up and managed to tie the game through Valentín Gómez, but Rodri before halftime, followed by Gabriel Jesus and Eric García, gave the league leaders the decisive lead. Pellegrini’s team briefly tied the game with a spectacular goal by Lo Celso, but it was ruled out via VAR due to a clear handball by Cucho Hernández at the start of the play. Controversy is sure to follow regarding the interpretation of the refereeing rules. Everyone sees it from their own perspective—the usual story. Facundo Bernal’s ejection ultimately sank Betis with half an hour of play remaining.

Flick’s team’s flawless start could be derailed by a grueling week of soccer, featuring away games against Betis and PSG and a high-stakes showdown at Camp Nou against Real Madrid. The first hurdle was a Champions League-caliber Betis side that hadn’t lost at La Cartuja in LaLiga since December 6, 2025—curiously, a 3-5 loss to Barça—in a span of 15 matches. And the test was passed, albeit controversially and successfully. Flick didn’t hold back and fielded a lineup that was essentially his first team, while Pellegrini rested some key players such as Isco, Natan, Deossa, and Antony.

Barça controlled possession from the start, and their dominance quickly translated into a lead with Lamine’s stunning goal into the top corner. On the other side, it was Abde who posed the home team’s greatest threat. The match unfolded exactly as the two players wearing the number 10 had hoped. And from a corner kick earned by the Moroccan, the equalizer came after a clearance fell to Fornals, who delivered a precise cross to the head of Valentín Gómez. The match opened up; there was no room for speculation at La Cartuja. Adeyemi had a chance to make it 1-2 after a great pass from Lamine, but Valles beat him in the one-on-one. Then it was Bellerín who had a chance to make it 2-1 off a pass from Fornals, but Joan García made a spectacular save.

The final minutes of the first half were nail-biting. Rodri made it 1-2 with a header off a corner kick taken by Fermín, leaving Valles half-way out of his goal. Betis didn’t let it get to them, and Lo Celso tied the game just a few minutes later with a great shot from outside the box. With the stands still going wild in celebration of the second equalizer, VAR alerted Ricardo de Burgos to a previous handball by Cucho Hernández, and the spectacular goal was disallowed—much to the despair of the entire Betis team—resulting in yellow cards for Diego Llorente and coach Pellegrini.

Barça’s start to the second half was just like the one in Istanbul in the Champions League. Thirty seconds in, Gabriel Jesus nearly scored off a pass from Adeyemi; then it was Fermín who forced Valles to make a spectacular save. Gabriel Jesus did score off a pass from Lamine, but the goal was called off for offside. The Brazilian found the net again a minute later off a pass from Lamine to make it 1-3. Betis protested a prior foul by Fermín. Before they had time to process the 1-3 score, it became 2-3 when Abde finished off a counterattack during which Barça claimed a foul on Fermín. That’s when things got heated: Valles roughly pulled Fermín to his feet while he was on the ground; Lamine stepped in to help his teammate; and Facundo Bernal ended the general scuffle with a head-to-head clash with Lamine that earned him a red card.

With the red card, the game was over

Down a man, Betis ran out of steam, and Barça immediately punished them with a fourth goal—a header by Eric García off a header from Cubarsí. That goal, which everyone could see was the definitive blow to the match, dampened the spirits, and the final 20 minutes seemed like a different game altogether. Both coaches began resting key players with an eye toward the Champions League, and Flick gave Raphinha a few minutes of playing time as he returned from injury while playing for Brazil. There was still time for Dani Olmo to score the fifth goal with a shot from outside the box. Eric García had to leave the game due to injury, which was the worst news for the Catalans. No one can stop this Barça. PSG and Real Madrid won’t make it easy for them in a few days.