Real Betis 1-2 FC Barcelona: Mission accomplished!

Barça knew that a win today would secure what Xavi has always described as objective number one since he took charge of the team.  Beat Betis and a place in the Champions League next season would be a certainty.

And that’s exactly what happened. But not without tension, suspense and drama. After nobody could score it was up to substitute Ansu Fati to come and show them how it was done.

But the youngster’s brilliantly taken goal was quickly cancelled out and it was practically with the last kick of the game (and what a kick it was!) that Jordi Alba finally clinched a famous victory.

The only challenge left for Barça now is to secure second place and trip to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup. For the time being, they’re in pole position to achieve that goal too.

End to end

There was a lot at stake for both sides in this game and it showed. Despite the intense Andalusian heat, the game was played at a relentless pace.

Barça started the game looking in reasonable control of things. German Pezzella cleared one of the clearest of several chances off the line, and after coming on for the injured Claudio Bravo, Betis keeper Rui Silva produced a spectacular reflex save to tip a Ronald Araujo header onto the bar.

The Catalans were also playing with a less regular stopper. Ter Stegen was out with a stomach upset, and his replacement Neto was kept busy enough, Guido Rodriguez coming closest to beating him when his long range strike rattled back off the crossbar.

As the game progressed we started to see more and more evidence of why Betis were recently crowned Copa del Rey champions (and for which the Barça players had welcomed them onto the field with a guard of honour). They were doing an effective job of breaking the flow in the Barça midfield, and were using spaces well. This game could go either way…

Ansu has the answer

The Benito Villamarin was in good song, and two great breaks for Juanmi got the fans more excited still, but on both occasions Neto did what he had to do.

Betis were on top. Barça needed something and the answer was waiting in the wings…

Just moments after coming on, Ansu Fati had already scored! The most sublime of touches trickled across the line so gently that at first glance it looked like a lucky mishit. But no, the 19-year-old knew exactly what he was doing. Simply outrageous.

Sadly the joy was short-lived. Just three minutes later former Barça man Marc Bartra was heading in an equaliser.

Alba scorcher

And from there it looked like we headed for a 1-1 draw that didn’t serve either team’s interests too well but was probably better for Barça than Betis.

However, a late bonus was on the way. A bonus of Champions League proportions.

With the referee already looking very closely at his watch, Dani Alves lofted a cross into the area and Jordi Alba stormed through to meet it. Wham!

It was impossible to connect better. What a volley! What a goal! What a finale! And that’s UCL football confirmed for next season!