SportsPowerful Alba Volley, Swift Fati Goal Give Barca Victory Over Betis

Powerful Alba Volley, Swift Fati Goal Give Barca Victory Over Betis

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May 08, (THEWILL) – Barcelona confirmed their qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 win over Real Betis on Saturday, away from home.

With the game goalless 15 minutes to the end, Ansu Fati scored, but Marc Bartra swiftly equalised, and just when it appeared like the two teams would have to split the points, Jordi Alba came up with a thunderous volley with one of the game’s final kicks.

Early in the tie, Juanmi beat Dani Alves, but could not keep his shot down as he sought to lob stand-in goalkeeper Neto, who was starting in place of the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Glo

Soon after, Ferran Torres came close to opening the score but could not quite reach Ousmane Dembele’s pass. After a bit of penalty box pinball, German Pezzella had to clear one off the line as a result of the Frenchman’s crossing.

Claudio Bravo, Betis’ starting goalkeeper, limped off injured early in the game, but his replacement, Rui Silva, got right into the action with a fantastic save to deflect Ronald Araujo’s thundering header over the bar.

On the half-hour mark, Barcelona were grateful for the woodwork as well as Guido Rodriguez’s low shot from the edge of the box appeared to beat Neto but came crashing back off the post.

The second half got off to a sluggish start as both teams traded feisty fouls. Juanmi ultimately broke through on goal, but Araujo’s outstanding block preserved the score.

Although Juanmi’s chances kept coming, Neto stepped in front of them all, the surprise starter performing brightly in a rare La Liga outing.

Barcelona took the lead against the run of play thanks to Ansu Fati’s sumptuous attempt from the edge of the box, which crept into the bottom corner just seconds after he came off the bench, with his second touch.

But Betis were not behind for long. Marc Bartra, a former Barcelona player, headed in a free-kick to set up a tense last ten minutes.

As the clock ticked down, it appeared that a 1-1 tie was on the cards, but Alba saved the day with a thunderous volley from a Dani Alves cross that thundered into the top corner and secured the victory.

Real Betis will return to play on Tuesday when they visit Valencia. On the same day, Barcelona hosts Celta Vigo at Camp Nou.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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