Barcelona returned to La Liga action with a glorious 5-0 triumph against a strong side in Real Betis. The Blaugranas showcased brilliant fluidity and creative, combinative attacking play, which earned them a deserved victory, much needed after the slow start of the season.
Barca News Network brings you 3 talking points from the 5-0 win against Betis on the 5th matchday of the season.
1. A show to behold
Usually, international breaks rather halt the momentum of a team and bring up a dip in performance, however, the game against Betis was the total opposite. Lacking fluid dynamism and creativity, Barcelona struggled in the first few rounds of the league but now this had come to a turning point.
Finally, the Catalans played with clear intentions, and even though Betis seemed more dangerous in the first minutes, the Blaugranes quickly capitalized on their first real chance through Joao Felix. Then another brilliant idea from the Portuguese to leave the through ball for Lewandowski resulted in a second goal around the 30-minute mark, and from then there was no look back.
The second half saw three further goals ending up in the back of Real Betis’ net, and the beautiful, fluid attacking play of the Blaugrana bore fruit in their biggest victory of the season so far.
And what kind of goals those were! First Ferrán Torres curled in a direct freekick to make it 3-0, then Raphinha who came in for the latter scorer put it home with a superb strike from outside the box. In the 81′ minute, Cancelo carried the ball all the way up to the final third, where he, after fooling a defender, scored another wondergoal to conclude a true fest of a game.
2. Joãos night
The Portuguese duo was heavily influential in the improvement in the Azulgrana’s play, as they brought much-needed quality to both wings, making the team’s play much more fluid and unpredictable.
Felix was deployed on the left on paper but had the freedom to roam all over the pitch to enhance his impact on the team’s play. He was often found in the middle of the pitch to aid Lewandowski not to be isolated and seek connections with his peers, while thus opening the left channel for Baldé’s terrifying runs.
His impact on the team’s play was palpable but not only that, he also managed to get on the scoresheet on just his first start, and while he was close to quickly doubling his goal tally, he also had an inspired idea that was essentially an assist without touching the ball.
On the other side, Cancelo was all over the right flank, and be it great ball retention, inversion into a midfield position to help buildups, technical show, progressive carrying or even making a decisive impact higher up the pitch, he did it all.
The former City man just showed what Barcelona lacked so much in the past few years in the right-back position, and it’s clear that he will have a crucial role in the team’s success this season. Off to a great start in Catalonia, and hope for an even better continuation.
3. Freekick curse broken
May 2, 2021. Estadio de Mestalla, Valencia. Lionel Messi scored his last free-kick goal in the Blaugrana colours before his heartbreaking departure to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving Barcelona in a major dip when it comes to free-kicks, being unable to directly convert any of such actions that the Argentine was a master of its art.
Fast-forward more than two years, finally, the curse had been broken by a certain Ferran Torres, who grabbed the opportunity and put it home with probably his last touch in the game.
Not that the Catalans wouldn’t have had players who can execute free-kicks with great precision and artistry, Depay, Alonso, de Jong, Raphinha, Gündoğan all have brillinat kicking techniques but none of them managed to score a goal directly from a free-kick.
It might not seem as so significant other than the fact that it was a pleasing goal to watch, but exploiting these kind of opportunities can widen the attacking repertoire of a team and open a new dimension in seeking the ways to score and win games.