Five goals validated, two disallowed, endless chances, dribbles, assists, maneuvers, runs, passion, pressure and other displays. Barça continues to party and is already in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. At the Olímpic they ate up Betis from start to finish with absolute sufficiency. With a wonderful, ethical and aesthetic game, Flick’s team continued in fifth gear. He passed over Madrid and did the same with the Sevillian team. Five by five, Barça offered another choral lesson, with a hand of different scorers: Gavi, Koundé, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal. And so happy.
With almost half a new team but with the same spirit as in the Spanish Super Cup. With five changes introduced by Hansi Flick but with the same overwhelming football. Barça entered the fray on their return to Montjuïc wanting to continue their celebration of games, goals and smiles. Peña, Araújo, Gerard Martín, De Jong and Olmo came on, and the team continued flying through all areas of the field. The Dutchman, very in tune, stood as a pivot and Olmo as a false nine, in Lewandowski’s place. The speed of the ball was notable, as well as constant mobility. Gavi appeared on all sides, Pedri led the orchestra, Olmo showed off an historic first touch and the stands, silent but full, were ready to enjoy some great football. Because if to all this was added the icing on the cake of a Lamine Yamal overflowing with fantasy and generosity, the Blaugrana flood was not long in coming.
The scoreboard was uncorked very soon. Pedri, along the axis, combined with Olmo and he continued the action by finding Gavi who controlled with his right and scored with his left.
Gavi, Koundé, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal were the authors of the goals
By then Betis had not even sniffed the ball. Taking into account what had happened to Madrid, the green and white team began to tremble.
He had reasons. Because at Barça everyone was focused and on target. Full of confidence and revolutions, Flick’s men mastered it to prowl the second without pause. Olmo almost scored with a shot outside, another shot that was saved by the Betis goalkeeper and a third that hit the post. At that point the best thing for Pellegrini’s team was the result. But before half an hour, Barcelona increased their lead when Lamine Yamal teamed up with his compadre Koundé. He left the pass bouncing and the Frenchman didn’t think twice and smashed the ball into the net with a hard, dry shot. The defender celebrated it in a big way.
The team had fun and had fun. There was no time to stop applauding and even good old Gerard Martín had a golden opportunity. Once again, Lamine, a candy distributor, put the candy in his mouth and only Johny Cardoso’s foot prevented the winger from scoring the third.
The one who did do it on the edge of half-time was an unleashed Koundé but it was annulled by an offside so millimetric that it seemed ridiculous. By the hair of a shrimp, as the late Luis Aragonés would say.
Betis had barely existed in attack, except for one brilliant occasion by Vitor Roque. The Brazilian, on loan from Barça, returned to Montjuïc and was able to close the gap. Iñaki Peña avoided it. In the middle of the debate about the goal, the goalkeeper showed a tense and providential hand.
Nothing diverted Barça from its objective of extending the result. Not another goal disallowed, now to Lamine Yamal, due to a previous offside, at the origin of the play. The public complained because they did not understand why the VAR had gone so far back. However, the team then recovered another ball, gave it to Lamine to set up the counter and the action finally led to 3-0. The ball fell at the feet of Raphinha, who did not forgive. The gale was a continuous session and the tie was already more than doomed.
De Jong was very in tune and Olmo acted as a false nine with great judgment
Perfect moment to dose your strength. Raphinha and Araújo left applauded and Ferran Torres and Eric Garcia appeared. The Valencian kissed the saint in his first intervention and nailed the fourth by making a profitable serve from Olmo, his second assist of the night. Everything came up and almost everything came out. The team never tired of drumming, with no room for relaxation, and the audience had a great time chanting Gavi and Pedri, replaced by Pau Víctor and Fermín. The Andalusian enabled Lamine to sign the fifth just before being substituted.
There was still time for Vitor Roque to close the gap by converting a very poorly taken penalty but which Iñaki Peña could not abort. It wasn’t necessary either.
#luxury #Barça #passes #Betis
