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Barcelona vs Real Betis Report

Isaac Asante, January 15 2012,
Under pressure, Barcelona welcomed Real Betis at the Camp Nou with dangerous intentions. But the Andalusians showed great resistance throughout the game, despite a 4-2 result in the end.
Lionel Messi scored two goals against Real Betis...
Lionel Messi scored two goals against Real Betis...
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An early attempt and an attacking style of play quickly conveyed Betis’ aim of taking the lead. 10 minutes was enough though for Pep Guardiola’s side to reduce the level of stress inside the stadium, as Xavi nicely netted the opener following a chance created by Cesc Fabregas.

Lionel Messi then rushed to add his name to the scoring sheet. A wonderful cross from Alexis Sanchez perfectly found the Argentine, who only had to convert from close range.

This quick succession of goals vitally revived Barcelona’s spirit, and soon after, the home side’s display clearly got boosted by a high level of confidence. They subsequently dominated the play, giving the home crowd much more to anticipate.

At their surprise though, Real Betis pulled one back, with Ruben Castro putting the visitors back into the game thanks to an assist from Salva Sevilla. The Blaugrana’s clean sheet record at home this season was broken…

Panic visibly began to disturb Barca’s movements, and for the second time in two weeks, Messi received a booking. Carles Puyol then followed on the referee’s book, and things went from bad to worse when Roque Santa Cruz excellently clipped the ball into the net’s top right corner to level the score line to 2-2.

Los Cules almost thought they had been gifted a golden chance to get back in front when Iniesta went down inside the box on 69 minutes; but the official refused to award Barca a penalty. As a result, the Spanish midfielder entered the book for diving. It was simply a controversial decision by the ref there…

Although it couldn’t serve as a payback, Betis’ Mario had to leave the pitch for an early shower, after he got sent off for a second booking that came through a bad tackle on Messi on the edge of the box. Barcelona kept putting pressure on their opponents in search of a winner, which Alexis Sanchez found on 75 minutes.

A timely pass from Xavi on the edge of the box put the Chilean striker in a great position to shoot, and Sanchez didn’t miss. A tricky shot was the key to what seemed to be the winning goal.

But a handball from Dorado inside the box wrongly stopped a shot from Lionel Messi, later on. The Catalans finally got their penalty appeal approved, and the Ballon d’Or 2011 winner made no mistake from the spot. A penalty goal closed the game 4-2 at the Camp Nou, at the delight of the fans in the stadium who certainly made their voices heard, especially in the second half.

Barcelona vs Real Betis

Date: Sunday, 15 Jan 2012
Time: 15:30 ( US/Eastern )
Competition: Spain La Liga
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona (Barcelona)

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