Real Betis 2-3 Barcelona: Francisco Trincao’s superb late winner sends visitors second again after Lionel Messi had come off the bench to equalise and Victor Ruiz scored at both ends in a gripping contest
- The game was heading for a draw before Francisco Trincao’s brilliant strike
- The hosts took the lead after a rapid counter-attack before Lionel Messi levelled
- The World Player of the Year scored just three minutes after taking to the field
- Victor Ruiz then put through his own net before making amends soon afterwards
- However, Trincao had the final say to take Ronald Koeman’s men up to second
Barcelona coming back to win high scoring thrillers is becoming a thing for Ronald Koeman – after winning 5-3 in the cup in midweek, they beat Betis 3-2 to move back into second place in LaLiga.
Francisco Trincao got the late winner but it was the introduction of Lionel Messi that changed the game. Without Messi on the pitch it was 1-0 to Betis and it may well have stayed that way but with him Barcelona scored three times to take all three points.
Koeman rested his best player ahead of the midweek Spanish Cup semi-final first leg against Sevilla and it did not go well with Borja Iglesias putting Manuel Pellegrini’s side ahead.
Pedri goes to congratulate Francisco Trincao after his superb effort settled a gripping contest
Iglesias flopped last season after making a big money move from Espanyol. He was on a run of one goal in 32 games five games back but has now scored four in four.
It was one bad enough that a former Espanyol player scored the goal. It was worse that Emerson, who Barcelona own 50 per cent of, crossed for him to score.
The attacking right-back on loan at Betis until the end of the season centered low and Iglesias beat Marc Andre ter Stegen to make it 1-0 just before half time.
Substitute Lionel Messi equalised soon after coming on following Borja Iglesias’ first-half goal
Barcelona started the second half well with Ousmane Dembele sprinting down the right and crossing for Oscar Mingueza whose shot was well saved by Joel Robles. But from a clever pass from Nabil Fekir, Juanma could have doubled the lead.
Koeman had seen enough by the 57th minute and he brought on Messi. Three minutes later Barcelona were level. With practically his first touch he buried a shot past Joel to make it 1-1 from the edge of the area.
It was now a different game with Messi creating more in his first five minutes on the pitch than those he had replaced had managed in the previous hour.
Victor Ruiz then scored at both ends and the hosts must have thought they would get a draw
Antoine Griezmann then played Dembele down the right and Joel saved smartly again.
On 68 minutes Barcelona were in front. Jordi Alba pulled the back to Messi and was able to thread another pass through an eye-of-a-needle hole in the centre of Betis’ defence. Griezmann got his clever flick all wrong and ended up directing the ball away from goal but it hit Victor Ruiz and crossed the line.
The defender would make up for his error for powering a header past Marc Andre ter Stegen from Fekir’s free-kick on 68 minutes.
Barcelona had lost Ronald Araujo after just 10 minutes. They were now all at sea defensively and Samuel Umtiti was brought on with 12 minutes left in an attempt to shore things up. Loren Moron was one for Iglesias and he almost got the winner for Betis but was denied by Ter Stegen.
There was to be a winner however. Trincao nicked the ball off of Ruiz on the edge of the area and curled the ball into the top corner for 3-2. Three points to take into Wednesday’s cup semi-final, when Messi will be on from the start this time.
But Trincao had the last laugh as Ronald Koeman’s continue to try and chase Atletico Madrid