Barcelona lose to Real Betis to suffer first defeat of the Xavi era | OneFootball

Barcelona welcomed Real Betis to Camp Nou this afternoon in a crucial clash in La Liga. They went into the game hoping for three points, but instead lost for the first time since Xavi took over from Ronald Koeman after putting up a below-par performance.

The result means that Barcelona failed to take their opportunity to leapfrog Rayo Vallecano and move into the top six, and will instead end the day seventh. They’re now six points off Atletico Madrid and the top four and 13 behind leaders Real Madrid.

Betis, incredibly, are now in third in the league table, a point behind neighbours Sevilla and just six off Madrid. Manuel Pellegrini has assembled an interesting and well-balanced squad down in Andalusia, and they’ve managed to balance their domestic commitments with participation in the Europa League.

Betis took their decisive lead in the 79th minute. Sergio Canales led a lightning-quick break down the right wing before cutting inside to find former Barcelona man Cristian Tello, who quickly played the ball to Juanmi, who finished coolly.