Barcelona shut out Real Betis to regain lead atop La Liga table
It was Lionel Messi's 500th appearance for Barcelona on Wednesday night and his club achieved a record for goals in a calendar year, but referee Inaki Vicandi Garrido wound up on center stage with a penalty decision that left Real Betis irate and sent the Catalans on the way to the 4-0 triumph that boosted them back to the top of La Liga.
Messi, who was flown back from a Dubai awards appearance on a private jet to make the kickoff, was the man involved in Garrido's 29th-minute decision that turned the match. By the time the dust had cleared, Barcelona had regained its goal-difference advantage over Atletico Madrid atop the table and also its two-point advantage over third place Real Madrid. The Catalans also have a match in hand.
"It is difficult to improve what we did, but we'll try," said Messi, who netted Barca's second after a Heiko Westermann own goal, with Luis Suarez scoring a brace after halftime. "We have a squad who still want to keep winning. It was a great year and we wanted to finish it the same way. It was a strange game [against Betis], with many things, but we got the three points."
For the first half hour, although there signs of Barcelona's usual pedigree, the contest was routine. Then, while moving toward a through ball down the middle Messi had his eyes on the ball when he was caught in the head by the advancing goalkeeper Antonio Adan in the center of the box.
Adan had come off his line to fist the ball away from danger when he collided with the side of Messi's head as he followed through. Although the contact looked accidental and unavoidable, Garrido gave the penalty and a quiet evening turned on its head.
First, the Betis players surrounded the referee to protest what looked a harsh, incorrect decision. Adan had been playing the ball and Messi was simply not aware of the upcoming contact.
Then, after Messi received treatment and the match was delayed, Neymar slipped while taking the spot kick and smashed it off the bar. Ivan Rakitic headed for the rebound off the crossbar alongside defender Heiko Westermann who wound up putting it into his own net under strong pressure from the Barcelona man.
Before things could settle down Messi got his name on the score sheet four minutes later and the Betis resistance had crumbled. The Argentine started and finished a fine give-and-go down the left with Neymar. The Brazilian's acceleration took him past the defense and he had the vision to spot Messi racing between defenders for the skillful finish.
By then Betis boss Pepe Mel, still furious over the penalty decision, was headed to the stands at the referee's request and the visitors were on a hiding to nothing.
Lost amongst all this was the fact that Messi's goal came from a lovely passing move and Luis Suarez's second half finish that killed the match as a contest came from a wonderful pass from Sergio Busquets. And there was a fine back-heeled pass from Neymar between defenders to allow Suarez his second of the night in the last 10 minutes.
There was also the fact that Messi hit the crossbar, Suarez had a point-blank shot smothered by Adan and Real Betis could do little to trouble Claudio Bravo at the other end of the field.
The attacking pressure merely confirmed the record-breaking strikes that lifted Barcelona to a Spanish calendar year record of 180 goals, a fitting achievement on the night the club was also celebrating its recent FIFA World Club championship. Barcelona proudly paraded their 2015 trophy-haul to recognize a remarkable campaign for the faitfhul at the Camp Nou.
That was before the controversy began and the three points were secured. Real Betis is left to remain mid-table and perhaps to wonder if their upcoming local derby Copa del Rey tie against Sevilla can come close to matching the drama of a night in Barcelona.
For Barcelona, this was the start of a stretch that could see them play as many as seven January matches. Up next is their own local derby business, starting with a La Liga fixture at Espanyol on Saturday. That's just the first of three games between the city's sides in the space of two weeks because they then face each other in the Copa del Rey, their two-leg tie beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Information from Goal.com was used in this report.
