FERRAN TORRES DOMINATES: BARCA'S 5-3 WIN OVER BETIS SECURES TOP SPOT
The La Liga race heats: Ferran Torres's brilliance, plus goals from Yamal and Bardghji, keep Barca ahead of Real Madrid after a high-scoring match.
Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in the first half, boosting Barcelona to a 5-3 win against Real Betis on Saturday. This puts them four points ahead in La Liga.
Lamine Yamal and Roony Bardghji also scored. The champions seemed set for an easy victory in Seville, but then gave up two late goals.
Real Madrid, who are in second place, play Celta Vigo on Sunday. They'll be trying to catch up with Hansi Flick's team. Atletico Madrid, currently fourth, are playing Athletic Bilbao later on Saturday.
After some shaky games, Barca beat Atletico Madrid earlier in the week and kept the momentum going with another win against Betis.
We're fighting hard, and my players were tired. By the end, not everyone was at their best, which is normal, Flick told reporters.
Overall, today was good. Really good, and I complimented my players.
Flick decided to rotate the team a bit, keeping in mind their important Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday.
The coach started Bardghji on the right wing and Torres as the striker instead of Robert Lewandowski. He also moved Yamal, the young star, to a central attacking midfield role, where he played well.
Antony, formerly with Manchester United, scored first for Betis, who are in fifth place. He hit the ball into the net after Jules Kounde played him onside at their temporary stadium, La Cartuja.
Kounde made up for it five minutes later by helping Barca get even. Torres finished off his cross after a great team move.
Torres scored again quickly, in the 13th minute, in a similar way from Bardghji's cross. After that, Barca was in control.
Bardghji then scored himself after Pedri did well to bring the ball forward. The Swedish winger finished it off perfectly.
Torres got his hat trick before half-time with a bit of luck. His shot bounced off a player and went past Alvaro Valles.
That was his 11th league goal, making him the second-highest scorer in La Liga, after Madrid's Kylian Mbappe.
"I knew I could do this," Torres said.
That's what you have to do at Barca, and I want to score many more.
Yamal scored Barca's fifth goal from the penalty spot before the hour mark. Marc Bartra, who used to play for Barcelona, was given a harsh penalty for handball.
Marcus Rashford's shot was blocked by Bartra, but the ball went up and hit his hand.
Yamal should have scored when he had a clear shot, but he shot too close to Valles. Rashford also missed when he was one-on-one with the keeper.
Betis scored two late goals. First, Diego Llorente turned the ball in from a corner that Barca defended poorly.
Then, Kounde clumsily fouled Ez Abde, another former Barca player, and Cucho Hernandez scored from the penalty spot.
BARTOMEU UNCOVERS SECRET 2017 MBAPPé BID DURING REVEALING CADENA SER INTERVIEW
Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals Barcelona targeted Kylian Mbappé in 2017, but coaches preferred a move for Ousmane Dembélé instead
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has just dropped a bit of a bombshell: right after Neymar left for PSG, Barcelona actually went after Kylian Mbappe. That chaotic summer in 2017, when Neymar's record-breaking move sent shockwaves through the club, left them scrambling for a new superstar.
Bartomeu admitted in an interview with SER that Neymar’s shock exit caught everyone off guard. “Neymar’s departure came as a shock to the club; we didn’t want him to leave,” he said. Suddenly, Barcelona was scouring the market for big names, and with Mbappe starring at Monaco, he became their top target.
But here’s the twist: even though the club reached out for both Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, the coaching staff made the final call. Bartomeu explained, “We made an offer for Mbappe and another for Dembele. The coaching staff preferred Dembele.” So, instead of pushing for Mbappe, Barcelona pressed ahead with Dembele, ultimately striking a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth €105 million plus add-ons.
Of course, there was the small matter of money, too. Bartomeu clarified that the price Monaco set for Mbappe was simply out of reach: €180 million, take it or leave it, and it was PSG who could step up. “It wasn’t an offer in the strict sense. They would say to you, "He's worth €180 million." If you want Mbappe, it’s €180 million, and Paris paid it.” Between the steep price and the coaching staff’s strong preference for Dembele, Barcelona backed off.
Bartomeu also opened up about how he handled transfers during his tenure. One thing stood out: after he pushed for the Luis Suarez signing from Liverpool despite all the controversy and got hammered with criticism, he decided to step back and trust the technical staff from then on. Suarez went on to win the Champions League and four La Liga titles with Barcelona, but that experience taught Bartomeu a lesson. “The only decision I made as president or as an administrator, and which I defended vigorously, was the signing of Suarez,” he said. “I was heavily criticised by all the media, so I learned the lesson that the president or administrators cannot interfere in sporting matters. We must trust the technical staff, the sporting directors, and the coaches; it is they who decide on signings.”
BARCELONA SECURE 14-POINT LEAD OVER MADRID; ESPANYOL RESULT NOW DETERMINES TITLE
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored late to move Barcelona 14 points clear, leaving them one Madrid loss from the title.
Barcelona now sit 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, and if Madrid slips up against Espanyol on Sunday, the title’s theirs.
Lewandowski finally broke the deadlock after 81 minutes, nodding in a header, and Torres added another four minutes from the end. Osasuna didn't quit, though Raul Garcia pulled one back late, but Barcelona held on for all three points. They’re inching closer to a second league title in a row, the club’s 29th overall.
If Madrid beats Espanyol, Barcelona’s next chance to seal it comes in the Clásico on May 10 against their biggest rivals.
Flick’s trying to keep his team’s focus on the next match rather than the Clasico, but Barcelona played the first half like a squad with little to lose. Missing the injured Lamine Yamal, they lost a chunk of their energy on the attack. Sure, they dominated possession, but breaking down Osasuna for real chances? That was tough.
Roony Bardghji, filling in for Yamal on the right, managed a decent long shot, but Osasuna’s keeper, Sergio Herrera, had no trouble stopping it. Honestly, Osasuna nearly shocked everyone before halftime. Ante Budimir battled through two defenders and poked the ball off the post.
Barcelona picked up the pace after the break. Dani Olmo should’ve scored from close range, but he fluffed it. Flick then rolled the dice from the bench, bringing on three subs, including Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, to take over the right flank.
Rashford almost made an immediate impact, curling a shot just over and injecting some much-needed speed. He set up the opener too, swinging in a perfect cross for Lewandowski, who lost his marker and buried his header. Torres, another sub, finished with precision to double the lead.
Still, it wasn’t comfortable. Garcia scored for Osasuna in stoppage time, left wide open in the box, forcing Barcelona to sweat out the last minutes. The Catalans dug in, clearing everything in sight as Osasuna pressed, but finally, they held on for their tenth league win in a row. Now, all they can do is wait.
