La Liga Roundup: Barcelona Thrashes Betis As Real Madrid Sees Red In Shock Defeat

Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of LaLiga after a thrilling 5-3 victory over Real Betis, while Real Madrid’s title hopes took another blow with a chaotic home defeat to Celta Vigo.

‎Barcelona’s Five-Goal

‎Barcelona extended their dominance over Real Betis to ten straight unbeaten H2Hs with a commanding 5-3 triumph at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.

‎Despite conceding inside the opening five minutes, the Catalans showed the quality and ruthlessness that have propelled them to the top of the table.

‎An early defensive lapse left Antony in acres of space to slam home Betis’ opener, but Barça quickly regained control.

‎Ferran Torres led the comeback, first guiding in a composed finish before acrobatically converting Roony Bardghji’s cross to complete the turnaround. The visitors’ fluid passing and relentless pressure overwhelmed Betis, and Bardghji soon added his name to the scoresheet with a sharp right-footed strike at the near post for his first LaLiga goal.

‎Barcelona’s fourth arrived on a stroke of fortune as Ferran’s speculative shot was inadvertently deflected in by Betis defender Marc Bartra. At 4-1 down by halftime, Betis were left clinging on to any remaining hope.

‎The second half offered little respite. Marcus Rashford went close, and Lamine Yamal, who was electric throughout, forced Betis further into retreat. A contentious VAR-awarded penalty, controversially given for a ball that struck Bartra’s body before hitting his arm, allowed Lamine to slot in Barcelona’s fifth and place the match firmly out of reach.

‎Betis mustered late resistance through Diego Llorente’s tap-in and a Cucho Hernández penalty, but by then the outcome was long settled.

‎Barcelona remained in full control from start to finish, securing another crucial three points and extending their unbeaten away run against Betis since March 2008.

‎Chaos at the Bernabéu as Real Madrid See Red

‎Real Madrid’s alarming dip in form continued with a disastrous 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo, a match defined by defensive breakdowns, wasteful finishing, and a flurry of red cards that left the Santiago Bernabéu stunned.

‎The turning point arrived early in the second half when Williot Swedberg produced a stunning flicked finish to give Celta the lead.

‎Madrid, visibly rattled, soon self-destructed. Fran García received his marching orders in the 64th minute, and Álvaro Carreras followed in stoppage time as frustrations spilled over. Even unused substitute Endrick was dismissed for protesting on the touchline.

‎Opportunities for an equalizer came and went, with Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé both missing chances they would ordinarily bury. To compound Madrid’s misery, Éder Militão was forced off injured in the first half, adding a fresh defensive concern for Xabi Alonso ahead of their Champions League clash with Manchester City.

‎Celta capitalized on the numerical advantage as Swedberg sealed the victory on a late breakaway, earning the visitors their second win in three games and lifting them to 10th in the table.

‎Madrid, meanwhile, now trails Barcelona by four points, having won only two of their last seven matches in all competitions.

‎Gazzaniga’s Nightmare as Girona Fall at Home

‎Girona’s season went from bad to worse in a damaging 3-0 home defeat to Elche, with goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga enduring a disastrous afternoon.

‎The Argentine was directly at fault for two goals, first failing to stop a routine angled shot at the near post and later gifting Elche a second when a misplaced pass rolled straight to an opposing attacker inside the box.

‎It was déjà vu for Girona fans who watched Gazzaniga suffer similar errors in the club’s opening league match against Rayo Vallecano.

‎With only one win in their last six matches across all competitions, Girona now find themselves sitting inside the relegation zone in 18th place. Elche’s victory, their first in seven games, pushes them up to ninth.

‎Espanyol Keep Rolling While Rayo Struggle

‎Espanyol’s resurgence continued with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, secured through Roberto Fernández’s well-taken first-half penalty. The victory marks Espanyol’s third consecutive win in LaLiga, cementing their position in fifth place.

‎Rayo’s hopes evaporated when Unai López was sent off in the 64th minute, a setback compounded by Espanyol’s Tyrhys Dolan also receiving a late red card. Rayo have now gone five matches without a win and continue to slide down the table, sitting 12th.

‎Valencia Snatch a Late Equalizer Against Sevilla

‎Valencia’s determination paid off in stoppage time as Hugo Duro struck a dramatic late equalizer in their 1-1 draw with Sevilla. The visitors had taken the lead through an unfortunate own goal by César Tárrega just before the hour mark, but Sevilla once again failed to hold a lead in a season filled with inconsistency.

‎With the result, Sevilla extend their winless run to three league games, while Valencia, currently 15th, salvage a vital point in their fight to climb away from the bottom half of the table.