Barcelona maintained their flawless start to the season under manager Hansi Flick, securing a commanding 5-2 victory over ten-man Real Betis at the Estadio La Cartuja on Saturday. The emphatic win re-established Barcelona’s five-point cushion at the summit of La Liga and equalled a 58-year-old all-time Spanish record for the best start to a league campaign—matching Real Madrid’s milestone of nine consecutive league wins set back in the 1968–69 season. Flick’s side have now recorded 11 victories from 11 matches across all competitions.
The Catalan giants opened the scoring after just ten minutes through a moment of individual brilliance from 19-year-old winger Lamine Yamal. Receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area, Yamal turned sharply past Betis defender Facundo Bernal before curling a sublime left-footed strike into the top corner. Despite Barcelona’s attacking fluency, defensive vulnerabilities persisted, allowing Manuel Pellegrini’s side to draw level in the 29th minute. Following an uncleared corner, Pablo Fornals floated a precise cross into the box for Valentín Gómez, who headed past Barça defender Xavi Espart.
Barcelona restored their lead shortly before half-time when Rodri powered home a header from a corner kick to mark his first official goal for the club. Betis appeared to have equalised once more when Giovani Lo Celso struck a magnificent long-range goal, but a VAR review subsequently disallowed the effort due to an earlier handball by Cucho Hernández in the build-up.
The second half began at a blistering pace as Gabriel Jesus extended Barcelona’s advantage six minutes after the restart, converting a cutback from Yamal shortly after having an earlier effort ruled out for offside. Abde Ezzalzouli responded quickly for Betis to narrow the deficit to 3-2. However, the hosts’ comeback hopes suffered a decisive blow when Bernal received a straight red card for headbutting Yamal during an altercation, which also earned the young Spaniard a booking.
Capitalising on the numerical advantage, Barcelona turned up the pressure. Eric García poked home a fourth from close range after receiving a cushioned header from Pau Cubarsí. Mindful of the upcoming El Clásico, Flick substituted Yamal for Raphinha—who returned after missing two matches through injury—to prevent any risk of a second booking. Dani Olmo completed the rout late on with a precise finish from the edge of the box, marking the sixth time Barcelona have scored five or more goals in a single match this season.
The victory keeps Barcelona comfortably ahead of second-placed Atlético Madrid, who earned a late 1-0 win at Espanyol to stay five points adrift, while Real Betis remain eight points off the top in third place.
