Barcelona used the fact that Real Madrid will not play until Sunday to their full advantage to win 5-0 over Real Betis and reclaim first place in the LaLiga EA Sports standings.
Real Betis, a squad with a reputation for being one of the tougher opponents in the Spanish top division, was thoroughly outclassed by a Barcelona team that was truly at the top of their game.
The first goal was scored after just 25 minutes, and it was scored by deadline-day addition Joao Felix, who scored on his club debut from close range.
The Portuguese striker entered the penalty area with a well-timed darting run and struck a shot from a small angle into the lower left corner.
Since losing Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the Blaugrana have struggled to find players who can make an immediate impact from nothing.
The score was 2-0 in favor of the home team as Andreas Christensen set up Robert Lewandowski for a simple opportunity.
The Polish forward created space for a shot with some deft movement, and his low shot bounced against the post and found the back of the net.
In the final seconds of the first half, Real Betis’ Willian Jose had a chance to equalize, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen superbly saved his attempt by tipping the ball over the crossbar.
Felix scored in his debut in the 58th minute, but it was disallowed for offside. They only had to wait another four minutes for Ferran Torres to make it 3-0 with a long-range free kick.
Raphinha’s Barcelona career has largely been one of stop-starts, but he was able to register his first goal in the 66th minute with a beautiful long-range strike.
Eight minutes from time, Joao Cancelo put the finishing touches on the perfect debut for Barcelona’s two newest Portuguese arrivals.
Once again, Rui Silva had no opportunity to stop the effort as the on-loan full-back collected the ball in an open area on the outskirts of the box and sent a shot into the goal.
Prior to the October Clasico, Xavi Hernandez’s team is already one point ahead of Los Blancos, who play on Sunday. This might give the eventual winner a significant edge in the title race.
