Barcelona survive five-goal thriller at Betis but lose defenders on the eve of PSG

The night the goals kept coming

SEVILLE — By the time Dani Olmo curled in Barcelona's fifth in the 81st minute, La Cartuja had already seen a golazo, a disallowed strike, a headbutt, a red card, a comeback that wasn't, and an injury that may define Barcelona's season. Betis 2-5 Barcelona: ninth straight La Liga win, 27 points from 27, five clear at the summit.

Yamal makes it look easy

Lamine Yamal needed ten minutes. The 19-year-old took the ball on the right, stepped past Facundo Bernal and bent a left-footed finish into the far top corner from the edge of the area. "Right now he is the best player in the world," Flick said, adding he had told Yamal how proud he felt of his performance when he substituted him.

The opener was Yamal's latest statement in a week where he had already supplied two assists against Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Betis refuse to lie down

Betis — third in La Liga going into the weekend and fresh from beating FC Porto 3-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday — are not a side to be steamrolled quietly. Valentín Gómez headed them level in the 27th minute; just before half-time Giovani Lo Celso thought he had done it again from the edge of the box, but VAR ruled it out for a Cucho Hernández handball.

Rodri had already restored Barcelona's lead in the 41st minute, heading home a Fermín López corner for his first goal in a Barcelona shirt.

Ten minutes of madness

The second half condensed a season into a quarter of an hour. Gabriel Jesus finished a Yamal pass in the 51st minute for 3-1, moments after another effort was ruled out for offside. Two minutes later Ez Abde, the former Barcelona winger, curled one past his old club for 3-2, and La Cartuja believed again.

Bernal then lost his head: the Betis midfielder headbutted Yamal in the altercation after Abde's goal and was shown a straight red card. Chasing the game a man down, Betis held out at 3-2 for another nine minutes before Barcelona broke through.

Eric García: scorer, then casualty

The fourth goal came from an unlikely source — and produced the night's biggest worry. Eric García, a half-time substitute, headed home in the 62nd minute, but pulled up clutching his right thigh before the final whistle and was helped off. Barcelona, out of substitutions, finished with ten men — both sides a man down.

García was not the only concern: Gerard Martín was withdrawn at half-time with a knock, and Flick confirmed Jules Koundé was also feeling something: "We don't know what will happen with Eric. Koundé has some minor issues, Gerard too ... We'll have to wait for the results," Flick told reporters.

Cadena SER reported the initial indications are not serious, but Sunday's medical tests will decide. Timing is brutal: PSG visit in the Champions League on Tuesday, and El Clásico follows on October 25.

The defensive puzzle

With Andreas Christensen already out, three more defensive doubts is a crisis, not a rotation question. One emergency option: Frenkie de Jong, fit again, has been tried in defence in training.

Raphinha's return from injury as a second-half substitute was one bright spot before a week that could shape Barcelona's season.

The bigger picture

Strip away the drama and the numbers stagger: nine wins from nine, five points clear, 39 goals — more than four a game, with five different scorers in Seville.

But two goals conceded, a VAR escape and an injury-hit back line will worry Flick: PSG will not be as forgiving as a Betis side that finished a man down — and Real Madrid wait four days later.

Flick says Yamal is the best player in the world right now. This week will test whether his defence can carry that talent through the season's defining stretch. Match details and live coverage

TLDR

• Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 at La Cartuja to extend their perfect La Liga start to nine wins and 27 points, five clear at the top.
• Lamine Yamal, 19, scored a stunning 10th-minute opener; Hansi Flick called him "the best player in the world" after the match.
• Eric García, Gerard Martín and Jules Koundé all finished with injury concerns ahead of Tuesday's Champions League meeting with PSG and the October 25 Clásico.
• Facundo Bernal was sent off for headbutting Yamal; Giovani Lo Celso's first-half strike was disallowed for handball by Cucho Hernández.

Key points

• Lamine Yamal opened the scoring with a curling left-footed strike and later set up Gabriel Jesus' 51st-minute goal.
• Rodri scored his first Barcelona goal, a header from a Fermín López corner in the 41st minute.
• Valentín Gómez and Ez Abde scored for Betis; Dani Olmo completed the 5-2 scoring in the 81st minute.
• Eric García limped off with a right-thigh muscle problem late on, leaving Barcelona to finish with ten men.
• Flick is already missing Andreas Christensen; Frenkie de Jong could be deployed in defence in an emergency.
• Sunday's medical tests will decide the trio's availability for PSG and Real Madrid.
• Barcelona have scored 39 league goals in nine games and hold all 27 available points.