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Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Wednesday, 24 Sep
Competition: ???label.competicio0???
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Resultat:

FC Barcelona: 3
Real Betis: 2

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

More info

Goals

1-0, Eto'o (min 17)
2-0, Eto'o (min 23)
2-1, Monzón (min 59)
2-2, José Mari (min 66)
3-2, Gudjohnsen (min 80)

Three hard-earned points (3-2)

Jordi Clos

Barça have beaten Betis to collect their second consecutive set of three points in the league. Despite Barça taking a two-goal lead, Betis levelled affairs in the second half but Gudjohnsen was at hand to grab a late winner.

Barça’s good form continues, and their victory made the city’s Mercè celebrations all the more complete. After the 6-1 win in Gijón on Sunday, they beat Betis 3-2 in a gripping encounter. Six points in less than a week, and Barça go sailing up the table.

Two Eto'o goals in the first half hour suggested Barcelona were going to have an easier ride than they eventually did. Betis scored twice in the second half to make it 2-2, and Barça had Gudjohnsen to thank for the goal that made it 3-2 at the Camp Nou.

Like at El Molinón

Barça started strong, spurred on by their six-goal spree in Asturias at the weekend. They looked solid at the back (where Cáceres took Puyol’s place), and going forwards they worked the ball around well, using both of the wings in devastating fashion. There was an air of confidence to their football, and the first two major goalscoring opportunities were successfully converted to make it 2-0.

Eto'o bags brace

Both goals came from the feet of Samuel Eto'o. In the 17th minute, the Cameroonian struck home a powerful drive from the edge of the area, the ball rebounding off the underside of the bar and into the back of the net. Before Betis had had time to conjure up a response, in the 23rd minute Leo Messi went on one of his typically dazzling runs into the area, and then threaded the ball on to Eto'o to round the keeper and stroke the ball home from inside the six-yard box.

Casto keeps Betis in it

Despite the superiority of the home side, Betis kept battling. Emana was employed as the sole striker, but try as Betis did, it was Barça that looked most like scoring. Finding plenty of space in which to operate, both Messi (min 30) and Alves (min 39) came close following flashes of individual brilliance. But visiting keeper Casto was on hand on both occasions to ensure that Paco Chaparro’s side still held some kind of hope as the half-time whistle blew.

Betis bounce back

The second half saw Barça begin to lose their grip on possession. Betis took advantage of the break in the rhythm to start creating more and more problems for the home defence. And in the 59th minute they made the most of a poorly organised wall to score from an indirect Monzón free kick. Messi almost produced an immediate response, but his effort went narrowly wide. The game had opened up considerably, and the Camp Nou was left stunned when José Mari took his chance to slot home a magnificent strike to tie the game at 2-2 in the 66th minute.

Gudjohnsen saves the day

The equaliser raised the tension between the sides, and Guardiola sent on Busquets, Gudjohnsen and Bojan in an effort to find a winner. Bojan came close seconds after coming on, but it was the Icelander who definitively tipped the balance in favour of Barcelona with an excellent left-footed shot in the 80th minute. And there was almost time for a fourth, from a one on one involving Bojan, an Alves free kick that struck the post and a Messi chip. None of those went in, but the crowd still went home happy after three crucial points were secured in a game that will also be a massive boost for the team’s morale.

Preview

4 wins in 45 attempts

Betis tend to have a rough time at the Camp Nou, having only won on four of their 45 visits. The last time they won was in the 1997/98 season, a largely irrelevant game as Barça had already secured the championship title.

They want more!

Jordi Clos

The team will be hoping to celebrate the stadium’s anniversary with a win in Wednesday night’s league match against Betis (20.00, R@dio Barça). After a slow start, Barça showed against Sporting that they have found their goalscoring touch again.

The Camp Nou celebrates its 51st anniversary on the day of the Mercè Festival. In commemoration of the event, the stadium grounds will be hosting a number of different events, from durational ‘sardana’ dances to a handball match in the Palau. But the high point will come at eight in the evening, when the first team take on Betis – and if they can produce a performance to match the one against Sporting, the celebrations will be complete.

Admiration

Having performed well but failed to win against Racing, Barça maintained the upward curve with a sensational 6-1 win away to Sporting. El Molinón saw just how good this Barça team can be, and as things start falling into place, teams will not be relishing the prospect of facing the Catalan giants this season. Their football has personality, intensity and speed. It’s great to watch, it’s effective and it’s winning plaudits all over the world.

Two games in three days

A winning margin like the one in Asturias was just the tonic for Guardiola’s side as they go into a tricky week in which they will be looking for points to guide themselves towards the leading positions in the table. They have a stern test against Betis on Wednesday night, and there will no time for relaxation afterwards whatever the result, because on Saturday they have what is likely to be their last ever derby with Espanyol at Montjuïc.

Henry for Pedro

Against the Andalusians, Barça have stuck to the same side as the one that faced Sporting, other than one change, whereby Thierry Henry steps in for Pedro. The French striker missed the last match with a throat infection. Apart from Pedro, Sylvinho and Víctor Sánchez have also been dropped, while Hleb, Milito and Jorquera are out through injury.

Betis in need of goals and points

Betis, meanwhile, are going into their fourth game without having broken their goalscoring duck, their two points having come from goalless draws. Manager Paco Chaparro is sorely missing Edu, one of the main reasons the Sevillans avoided the drop last season.

Dead ball situations

Betis’ inability in front of goal is in stark contrast to FC Barcelona’s situation. In games in the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon and Sporting Gijón in the league, they have hit the target no fewer than nine times. Three have come from set plays, which seem to be one of the key aspects of Guardiola’s game plan. It looks like there could be a whole lot more goals where they came from.