The carnage bestowed upon Real Betis by FC Barcelona was nothing short of an absolute thrashing, as the Catalan giants put five goals past Real Betis’s goal in a clash that Pellegrini will be hoping his side can forget moving forward toward their future endeavors.
Goals from Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Joao Cancelo account for four of the five spectacular goals scored on the night. The fifth was scored by a particular Spaniard and holds a much deeper sentimental value than the others scored in the same clash.
Ferran Torres, 23-year-old Spanish forward, scored a freekick in the 62nd minute of the game from 25 yards out that curled around the Betis wall, and into the back of the goal guarded by Fran Vieites, leaving the Spanish goalkeeper no chance to deny the Barcelona forward from scoring.
As highlighted previously at Barca News Network, this goal marks the first free-kick goal scored by FC Barcelona since Lionel Messi’s strike against Valencia back in May of 2021. Coincidentally, Ferran Torres himself has also previously been a player at the Mestella, sort of bringing things full circle.
Not aware of the historical relevance
Speaking after the game regarding his goal, as highlighted by SPORT, he confessed several things. Told that he was the first person since Messi to score a freekick in two years, the Spaniard confessed that he was not even aware of that until after the game and that he was grateful to be the individual to do it:
“I didn’t know, they told me after the game. I’m glad it was me.”
Unintentionally good
Furthermore, the 23-year-old made another humorous confession stating that his freekick against Betis did not end up going how it was planned at all. Originally, the Barcelona forward wanted to strike the ball at a height that would go over the wall but instead, it mistakenly ended up curving from around it and still ended up in the back of the net:
“My idea was to throw the free kick over the barrier (wall), it went a little wrong, but it went in, which is the important thing.”
Barcelona set-piece taker
The player was even asked about the feeling of now arguably being the team’s primary setpiece taker, to which the Barcelona star replied that other teammates such as Robert Lewandowski would also stay in the loop and it is rather a game-based call instead of a predetermined striker that will take all free-kicks:
“I think Robert [Lewandowski] will want to strike the next one, but these are game-based decisions.”
