Barcelona won 5-2 at Real Betis at La Cartuja on Saturday, with Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Eric García and Dani Olmo scoring after Betis lost Facundo Bernal to a red card, to make it nine La Liga wins from nine and stay top.
SEVILLE, Oct 17 — Barcelona kept their perfect start to the La Liga season going with a 5-2 win away at Real Betis, scoring three times after Betis went down to ten men.
Yamal’s long-range opener
Lamine Yamal put Barcelona ahead in the 10th minute with a curling shot from distance into the top corner. Betis levelled in the 27th minute when Valentín Gómez headed in a cross from Pablo Fornals. Barcelona regained the lead in the 41st minute when Rodri headed in from a corner. Three minutes later, Betis thought they had levelled again, but Giovani Lo Celso’s goal in the 44th minute was ruled out for a handball by Cucho Hernández earlier in the move.
Red card and three more goals
Gabriel Jesus made it 3-1 in the 51st minute, finishing a Yamal cut-back, and Ez Abde pulled one back for Betis in the 53rd minute. One minute later, Facundo Bernal was sent off in the 54th minute for a headbutt on Yamal, who was booked for his part in the confrontation. Diego Llorente was booked for Betis in the 61st minute. Barcelona then scored twice more against ten men: Eric García made it 4-2 in the 62nd minute from close range after Pau Cubarsí headed the ball across, and substitute Dani Olmo added a fifth in the 81st minute with a finish from outside the box.
Record start and the table
Barcelona have won all nine of their league games, equalling the nine-win start Real Madrid set in 1968/69, according to reports. They lead La Liga five points clear of Atlético Madrid, who won 1-0 at Espanyol earlier on Saturday. Betis are third, eight points behind the leaders, and Real Madrid are fourth. Raphinha came on after missing the previous two matches through injury. Hansi Flick’s side next face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, before the Clásico against Real Madrid the following weekend. Barcelona’s last European outing was a 4-1 win at Galatasaray.
Result: Real Betis 2-5 Barcelona (La Liga, La Cartuja, Seville). Barcelona: Yamal 10′, Rodri 41′, Jesus 51′, García 62′, Olmo 81′. Betis: Gómez 27′, Abde 53′. Red card: Facundo Bernal (Betis) 54′.
