Barcelona was unable to string together consecutive wins dropping points against Real Betis, jeopardizing its lead atop La Liga's standings over Real Madrid.
It was a difficult afternoon for Flick's men against a disciplined, well organized and tireless Betis side that looked physically superior. Barcelona was still in position to steal a win, but an Assane Diao's stoppage time equalizer summed up Barça's disappointing second half performance. The Catalans saw a seven-year La Liga win streak at the Estadio Benito Villamarín come to an end.
Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring in the first half with a beautifully crafted goal. Betis stormed out of the gate in the second half and found the equalizer through a penalty. Ferran Torres appeared to score the game winner with his second goal in as many games, but the Blaugrana were unable to lock away the result and Diao cemented the 2–2 scoreline with his goal in the 94th minute.
Barcelona no longer control its own destiny in La Liga and the team's underlying issues are starting to reach the surface. Here's what we learned from Barcelona's 2–2 draw against Real Betis.
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Barcelona's Lack of Depth Was Exposed in the Second Half
With Barcelona struggling to control the game in the second half, Flick made changes to refresh his side. However, the players that came in failed to have a positive impact on the match, aside from Ferran Torres scoring Barca's second goal.
Frenkie de Jong gave away a clumsy penalty for Betis's opening goal. Héctor Fort was out of position in the late equalizer, Gavi and Pau Víctor had less than 19 touches between them in the 20 plus minutes they were on the pitch. Ultimately, a win would've masked Barcelona's overall showing.
Today, Flick fielded his strongest starting lineup, or at least his preferred one. The issue is that minutes are starting to mount for key Barcelona players. Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri, specifically, looked tired in the second half. Without them, the Catalans aren't as mighty.
It's no surprise that as the season progresses and minutes mount, Barcelona no longer look like the juggernaut of the early days of Flick's tenure and the squad depth doesn't allow for heavy rotating. Since we haven't even reached the midway mark of the season, this issue could be Barcelona's downfall come the decisive months of the campaign.
Iñaki Peña Confirms His Status as Barcelona's Number One
If it wasn't for Iñaki Peña, Barcelona would've lost today.
He had no chance at stopping either of the two goals he conceded, but he had two key saves that kept Barça afloat. One early in the game in a 1-v-1 against Abde Ezzalzouli where he stood his ground, and another, more impressive one in the second half in what was essentially a rolling penalty.
Tremendous save by Iñaki Peña 🛑#LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/okrdz5TsPJ
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 7, 2024
Peña hasn't been perfect since inheriting the starting role after Marc-André ter Stegen's injury. With calls for Wojciech Szczęsny to be given an opportunity getting louder in recent weeks, Flick's been firm that Peña is his number one.
The Barcelona academy product was instrumental to rescuing a point with a performance worthy of being the team's starting goalkeeper.
Lamine Yamal Shows His Character
The final stretch of the game was a nerve-raking, high pressure affair where many Barça players looked anxious on the ball. Yet, the youngest player on the pitch remained calm.
Lamine Yamal continuously asked for the ball, made direct, incisive runs and, out of nowhere, created Barcelona's second goal with his latest magical moment.
FERRAN TORRES PUTS BARCA BACK IN FRONT!
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 7, 2024
WORLD CLASS ASSIST BY LAMINE YAMAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qHzdIsIHYK
His quality has been talked about incessantly over the past year, but today, his character and poise under pressure was highlighted. In the most difficult moments he didn't hide, he took a step forward and nearly carried the team on his shoulders to victory.
Despite his efforts, Barcelona was unable to secure the three points. However, it was another brilliant performance by a player whose mental fortitude appears to be on par with his quality on the ball.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as A Stoppage Time Equalizer Crowns a Worrying Second Half: Things We Learned From Barcelona 2-2 Real Betis.
