الأحد، 30 أبريل 2023

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Five talking points from Barcelona 4-0 Real Betis

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FC Barcelona v Real Betis - LaLiga Santander
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

A big win for the Catalans

Welcome back, Andreas Christensen

Andreas Christensen was back in the starting XI for Barcelona after injury and on the scoresheet too, opening the scoring for the Catalans after just 14 minutes.

Raphinha was the creator, swinging in a cross for the center-back to head firmly past goalkeeper Rui Silva for his first Barcelona goal.

Christensen is one of football’s quiet men but there’s no doubting the emotion in his celebration.

It’s Christensen’s first goal at club level since scoring for Chelsea in the FA Cup against Chesterfield all the way back in January 2022 and his first league goal since 2017.

The Dane’s goal was the perfect way to celebrate his return to action and highlighted once again how he’s been a brilliant acquisition since arriving on a free transfer.

Camp Nou waves farewell to Joaquin

Over 85,000 Barcelona fans waved farewell to Joaquin on Saturday after the Betis winger announced earlier this week he was retiring at the grand old age of 41.

To put that in some kind of context, Joaquin was 26 when Lamine Yamal was born, and has a daughter who is older than the Barcelona starlet.

Joaquin took to the pitch ahead of kick-off and received a huge ovation from the fans packed inside the famous old stadium.

Xavi had been full of praise for Joaquin ahead of the match too. The Barca boss said he thought he could have played for Barca and added he’s one of the best wingers he’s ever seen.

Unfortunately for Joaquin, it ended up being a tough night for Betis. Christensen’s early goal and a first-half sending off for Edgar Gonzalez allowed the hosts to run away with it.

There was another ovation when Joaquin did arrive in the second half, but he couldn’t finish the game as he sadly had to go off after suffering a knee injury.

Farewell, Joaquin.

Lewandowski reacts as Pichichi race hots up

Robert Lewandowski has been the favorite to lift the Pichichi all season but came under pressure before the match after seeing Karim Benzema cut the gap with a hat-trick against Almeria.

Benzema took his tally to 17 for the season in La Liga, just one behind Lewandowski before kick-off, which meant there was some pressure on the Poland international to respond.

Lewandowski ended a mini-drought last time out against Rayo and was on target again on Saturday night.

Jules Kounde was the creator this time with a ball in from the right, which saw Lewandowski produce a fine first-team finish to sweep the ball into the side-netting.

There’s been a fair bit of criticism for Lewandowski recently, but that’s goal number 19 for the season in La Liga which is an impressive return in his debut campaign.

Barcelona’s No. 9 is now two goals ahead of Benzema, but both players still have six games left to play and will fancy their chances of finishing top of the pile.

Raphinha’s numbers are stacking up

Raphinha ended Saturday’s match with another goal and another assist after another productive performane for the Catalans.

The Brazilian has been inconsistent, and at times frustrating, during his first season at Barcelona but his numbers really are stacking up.

He now has 11 assists for the season for Barcelona which compares well with other new signings at the Camp Nou.

Raphinha is also into double figures for goals, a target he has openly admitted he set himself earlier in the campaign.

There’s been plenty of speculation that Raphinha could be sold at the end of the season, partly because he’s one of the players in the squad who could demand a decent fee.

Yet Raphinha’s numbers may well ensure he ends up staying. If Barca do have to sell off a forward, then there’s no doubt the Brazilian’s statistics are far superior to those of Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati this season.

Lamine Yamal - the start of something special?

Saturday’s match was also notable as Barcelona fans got to see Lamine Yamal write his name into the history books by making his debut for the Catalans.

The teenager stepped off the bench late on at the age of 15 years and 290 days and went on to enjoy a bright few minutes on his first appearance for the first team.

There was a chance of a goal with a shot, which Rui Silva blocked, and then a chance of an assist too. A sweet chipped ball found Ousmane Dembele but the Frenchman couldn’t convert.

Raphinha and Xavi both heaped praise on the youngster after the game and it’s already very clear just how highly he’s rated within the club already.

Is this the start of something very special at Barcelona?



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