Betis vs FC Barcelona: Season end with pride (2-2)
An injury time equaliser from Keita saved a point for Barça, who had gone ahead in the first half through Sergio Busquets, before losing Alves to a second yellow just after the break. With this match, FC Barcelona end the Spanish League season in the second place, on 91 points and having scored 114 goals. Valdes is the League’s best keeper and Messi, the best scorer. Next step: the Spanish Cup Final with Bilbao’s Athletic Club.
Seville (FCB).- FC Barcelona finished their Spanish League season with a hard won draw at the Benito Villamarín. A late goal from Keita gave the Catalans a point after they’d played the last half hour with ten men following Dani Alves’ second yellow. Betis took advantage of the extra man to overturn Busquets’ early goal with a brace from Rubén Castro. Despite the two goals, Victor Valdes is still the best keeper in the League and will again win the Zamora trophy – his fifth. Barça finish the season on 91 points, having scored 114 goals, and can now turn their attention to the Spanish Cup Final with Bilbao in a fortnight’s time.
Busquets opens the scoring
With nothing but pride riding on the result, Barça and Betis gave the crowd an intense and lively start, with the visitors, as usual, dominating possession and creating the early chances and Sergio Busquets rounded off a good start on 8 minutes when he headed in a Xavi corner at the near post.
Midfielders causing danger
Xavi then came close himself with a couple of free kicks that shaved the woodwork, whilst Adriano and Keita found Castro on top form to keep them out. It was Barça’s second line of attackers rather than the front three who were coming closer, but the Catalans had to settle for a single goal advantage at the break.
Alves sees red
Things turned trickier for Barça just after the break, when Alves was shown a second yellow on 52 minutes. Guardiola brought on Montoya to cover and took off Afellay, which meant the team lost presence in midfield and began to see less of possession and lose control of the game.
Rubén Castro brace
Betis were ambitious throughout and now they began to find space they hadn’t seen when up against 11. In three minutes they managed to turn the result around, with Ruben Castro breaking the offside trap and pouncing on two through balls to beat an exposed Victor Valdes in two one on one situations.
Keita to the rescue
It looked as if the team might be finishing off Josep Guardiola’s last game in charge with a defeat, but in injury time Montoya floated in a great cross which Keita met to head in the equaliser for Barça’s 114th goal in a season to be proud of.