Real Betis vs. Barcelona: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Barcelona took on Real Betis on Saturday night hoping to go back to the top of La Liga with two matches to play, and that's exactly what they did thanks to a 2-0 win.
The first half had very few shots or chances and a whole host of yellow cards thanks to a fussy referee, with defender Heiko Westermann pushing too far and earning himself a red card after two bookings and just over half an hour of play. A goalless first half was forgotten just after the break, with midfielder Ivan Rakitic scoring from close range after a defensive mix-up. Betis found it tough to attack with 10 men and Luis Suarez sealed the win later on.
Here are all the biggest winners and losers from the fixture.
Winner: Ivan Rakitic
1 of 5
Without being absolutely stellar, Rakitic had a quietly impressive game and made the two biggest impacts on the match, too.
His neat passing and drive to quickly win back the ball came to the fore as the first half wore on. Rakitic surged past two or three challenges outside the box, and one came from Westermann, who took him down and earned a second yellow card.
Rakitic's habit of breaking into the box—seen less often this year compared to last—was also crucial in scoring the vital first goal of the game, taking advantage of the mix-up between Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan and defender German Pezzella to tap home.
Loser: Antonio Mateu
2 of 5
What a shambles of a display from the man in the middle.
Referee Antonio Mateu was clearly desperate to be the focus of the match right from kick-off, aggressively talking down to players and booking anyone who caused the slightest contact on the pitch. A whopping seven yellows and one red card were shown in the first 45 minutes, as Mateu gave a refereeing equivalent of a dog marking its territory on a lamp post.
Despite barely any aggressive challenges and no dirtiness in the match, Mateu managed to send off one player, threaten Betis manager Juan Merino for an extremely mild reaction to a free-kick awarded against his team and, remarkably, completely missed the worst challenge of the game when Betis midfielder Dani Ceballos dragged his studs down Barcelona defender Gerard Pique's heel.
Loser: Heiko Westermann
3 of 5
Bad refereeing was already happening on the pitch before Westermann got caught up in it all, but he can have no complaints at the red card being shown after a stupid foul on Rakitic.
Westermann was caught out of position and overstretched into a tackle where he was never reaching for the ball in the first place, giving the ref an easy option to send him from the pitch.
Betis were playing well, defending comfortably and holding Barcelona at bay at the time...but it was never likely to last when playing with 10 men. Poor showing from the experienced German defender.
Winner: Luis Suarez
4 of 5
He had been on fire in his previous two games—netting eight goals in that time—but Suarez found his radar sorely lacking for much of the game at Betis.
Two big chances fell his way in the second half—one when it was still 0-0—and he spurned the opportunities. As one of the best forwards in the world, he continued making his runs, continued to trouble the defence and eventually got his rewards.
Another great run behind the defence saw him freed a third time inside the final 10 minutes, and he made no mistake with a first-time finish, netting his 35th of the season.
Winner: Luis Enrique
5 of 5
With no European action to worry about, Barcelona were the only ones of the top three sides who were able to play a full-strength side this weekend; there was no messing about from Luis Enrique.
He put his big-name XI out and continually cajoled them from the touchline to play faster and higher up the pitch, and the change immediately after half time was evident.
Two games separate Enrique from a second consecutive title, and he could yet end his second season in charge by still having won every major domestic trophy he has taken his side into.
