Barcelona Settles for Draw with Betis, Maintaining La Liga Lead
Click to start listening
Synopsis
FC Barcelona has widened its La Liga lead to four points over Real Madrid despite a 1-1 draw against Betis. Gavi opened the scoring, but Natan equalized for Betis. Real Madrid suffered a shocking defeat to Valencia, while Celta, Alaves, and Espanyol secured vital wins in their respective matches.
Key Takeaways
- Barcelona remains at the top of La Liga.
- Gavi scored early, but Betis equalized.
- Real Madrid lost to Valencia in a surprising defeat.
- Celta and Alaves claimed essential victories.
- Espanyol excelled with a decisive win over Rayo Vallecano.
Madrid, April 6 (NationPress) FC Barcelona has increased its advantage at the top of La Liga to four points over Real Madrid, yet missed an opportunity to make a nearly conclusive statement in the title race after being held to a 1-1 draw at home against Betis.
Gavi gave Barca the lead in the seventh minute with an assist from Ferran Torres, but Natan equalized for Betis with a powerful header from a 17th-minute corner.
Although Barcelona maintained control of the ball after halftime, the team, playing its fourth match in ten days, lacked its typical precision in the Betis penalty area, while Betis defended effectively to strengthen its bid for a place in next season's Champions League, according to reports from Xinhua.
Earlier that day, Real Madrid faced a shocking 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia.
Vinicius Jr had an early penalty saved by Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili following a controversial decision by referee Cuadra Fernandez after Kylian Mbappe went down easily.
Mouctar Diakhaby scored from the penalty spot, and Real Madrid goalkeeper Fran Gonzalez was unable to respond.
Vinicius equalized from close range after a cross from Jude Bellingham five minutes into the second half, and Mbappe was denied again by Mamardashvili's excellent save, before Valencia stunned Madrid in the 94th minute with Hugo Duro scoring another header on a counter-attack.
There was still time for Mamardashvili to make another crucial save in the 96th minute when Antonio Rudiger found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a long ball.
Celta made a comeback from a goal down to win 2-1 away against Mallorca, with Fer Lopez netting a stunning winner after Alfonso Gonzalez equalized Martin Valjent's 17th-minute opener for the hosts.
Alaves' survival chances received a significant boost thanks to Carlos Vicente's 61st-minute goal, securing a 1-0 win away against Girona.
Although Girona dominated possession and had more attempts, their inaccurate finishing resulted in only one shot on target in the 90th minute.
On Friday night, Espanyol took a substantial step towards survival with a 4-0 win away against Rayo Vallecano, marking their best performance of the season.
