Barcelona Holds Betis to a Draw, Extends La Liga Lead After Madrid's Loss
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Synopsis
Barcelona increased its La Liga lead to four points over Madrid after a 1-1 draw with Betis, missing a chance to solidify their title race position. In a shocker, Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Valencia, complicating their title chances.
Key Takeaways
- Barcelona's draw with Betis extends their La Liga lead.
- Real Madrid suffers a surprising defeat against Valencia.
- Key players like Gavi and Vinicius Jr. were influential in their matches.
- Betis showcased strong defensive skills to earn the draw.
- Celta and Alaves secured vital wins in their matches.
Madrid, April 6 (NationPress) FC Barcelona has increased its advantage at the top of La Liga to four points over Real Madrid, but missed the opportunity to deliver a nearly conclusive statement in the title race after being held to a 1-1 draw at home against Betis.
Gavi put Barcelona ahead in the seventh minute with an assist from Ferran Torres, but Natan's powerful header from a corner in the 17th minute equalized the score for Betis.
Barcelona dominated possession in the second half, but the team, playing its fourth match in just 10 days, lacked its usual precision in the Betis penalty area. Meanwhile, Betis defended robustly, bolstering its bid for a spot in next season's Champions League, reports Xinhua.
Earlier that day, Real Madrid suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia.
Vinicius Jr had an early penalty saved by Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili following a questionable decision by referee Cuadra Fernandez after Kylian Mbappe went down too easily.
Mouctar Diakhaby scored a penalty that Real Madrid keeper Fran Gonzalez could not save.
Vinicius equalized from close range after a cross from Jude Bellingham five minutes into the second half, and Mbappe saw Mamardashvili make another outstanding save, before Valencia caught Madrid off-guard in the 94th minute with Hugo Duro scoring another header following a counter-attack.
There was still time for Mamardashvili to make yet another save in the 96th minute when Antonio Rudiger found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a long ball left him unmarked.
Celta came back from a goal down to secure a 2-1 victory away to Mallorca, with Fer Lopez netting a stunning winner after Alfonso Gonzalez had equalized for the home side, cancelling out Martin Valjent's opener in the 17th minute.
Alaves' survival hopes received a crucial boost thanks to Carlos Vicente's goal in the 61st minute, leading to a 1-0 win away against Girona.
Despite dominating possession and taking more shots, Girona's wayward finishing meant they only managed one shot on target in the 90th minute.
On Friday night, Espanyol made a significant move toward survival with a 4-0 victory away to Rayo Vallecano, marking their best performance of the season.
