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Barcelona haven't had the best of starts to their 2020-21 La Liga campaign. The Catalan club were without a win in their previous four league fixtures as they welcomed a dangerous Real Betis side to the Camp Nou for their seventh round of fixtures.
Ronald Koeman's move to leave a tired Lionel Messi on the bench paid off at the start as Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann flourished in their preferred positions; the former gave Blaugrana the early lead with a brilliant strike which may have well announced his return to top form.
But Barcelona struggled to build on their lead as Griezmann's goal-scoring woes continued and eventually Los Verdiblancos equalized capitalizing on defensive lapses from the hosts.
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As you would expect, the game changed as soon as Messi came on in the second half replacing Ansu Fati. Barcelona still conceded once more to ten-men Betis, but scored four on the other end to cap off the victory in style.
The win should come as a huge relief for Barca's newly appointed Dutch manager and the side now sit eight in the La Liga table, ready to relaunch their title hopes despite early points deficit to both Madrid rivals and table-toppers Real Sociedad.
#1 Dembele brilliance gives Barcelona the early lead
Ousmane Dembele has had a tough three years since completing his dream move to Barcelona. The French international's career has largely stagnated due to recurring injuries, forcing him to spend more time on the sidelines than on the field.
But when fit, the talented winger has never failed to show flashes of excellence that once made him one of the hottest properties in the world. On Saturday, Dembele did just that to give his side the lead against Betis.
Playing on his preferred right side, Dembele showed the two-footed brilliance that he has come to be known for. After receiving the ball from teammate Antoine Griezmann on his right foot, the 23 year-old forward quickly cut in on his left and launched a rocket straight into the back of the net.
The three Betis defenders lined up to block Dembele's shot, could only watch the spectacle unfold as the ball flew past them and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to give Barca the lead.
The cutback, followed by the power and the accuracy of the shot was once again a reminder of what the Frenchman can do if given an extensive run in the starting line-up, without injuries halting his progress.
#2 Barcelona's defensive frailties exposed again, despite big win
Though creating chances by the dozen up front in the first half, Barcelona's defensive weakness under Ronald Koeman once again kept getting exposed throughout the match as the Catalan side made numerous defensive lapses, keeping the Andalusian outfit in the game.
Midfielder William Carvalho and left-back Alex Moreno both had golden opportunities to score even before Barcelona took the lead. But Betis had to wait till late in the first half, as the equalizer came when two La Masia graduates Cristian Tello and Antonio Sanabria combined, aided by Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet failing to block Tello's cross.
The former Barcelona winger's ball in was deflected by Sergi Roberto's effort to block, wrong-footing Gerard Pique, as Sanabria was the first to get on its end after Lenglet failed to react quickly to the deflection.
The Andalusians' second goal came from a similar Lenglet mistake, as the French center-back failed to track Alex Moreno's run and block his cross. Loren Moron seized the opportunity to temporarily keep Betis in the game before another Messi goal ensured there was no comeback for Manuel Pellegrini's side.
#3 Messi changes the game within 4 minutes
It's rare to see a Barcelona starting lineup without Lionel Messi. But the Argentine wizard was given some much needed rest after looking visibly fatigued in previous games, as he started on the bench against Betis.
But Messi's services were called upon soon enough by Ronald Koeman, as the Dutch manager went straight to his talisman after Real Betis equalized with the last kick of the opening half. Just as Messi came on to begin the second-half proceedings, Barca started being way more imposing on the ball right away suffocating Betis in their own half.
The opening came sooner than expected as Messi cleverly tricked goalkeeper Claudio Bravo into committing - with a dummy move on Jordi Alba's cross, only for Griezmann to calmly tap it into the empty net to restore Barcelona's lead.
Two became three as Leo Messi showed no nerves to hammer in his 57th minute penalty into the top-right corner of the net, as Real Betis went down to men.
Messi's long wait for an open-play goal this season also came to an end in 82nd minute, helped by a clever back-heel from Sergi Roberto, as the lil magician rifled a left-footed strike past his former team-mate Claudio Bravo into the net to seal the game for Barcelona.
#4 Aissa Mandi has a nightmare at the back
For years, Aissa Mandi has been Real Betis' rock-solid force in defense, often bailing out his team on his own. Mandi has often had impressive performances against Barcelona too, even while visiting the Catalans' home.
But the Algerian was anything but solid in the recent visit to Camp Nou, as he cost his side a penalty in either halves and got sent off leaving Betis with ten men for the last half hour.
The defender completely misjudged his challenge on Ansu Fati in the 32nd minute, sticking out his leg too early in the box and conceded a stonewall penalty while also getting into the referee's books. But to bring temporary respite to Mandi, Griezmann missed his chance to convert from the spot.
However, Mandi's luck was short-lived and he wasn't so fortunate the second time; in the 57th minute when he conceded another penalty, blocking a shot into goal with his arm. To add to his misery, the foul was enough to warrant a second yellow card ending the 29 year-old's game a lot earlier than expected. Lionel Messi converted the ensuing penalty, leaving Betis with a deficit too big to make up.
Aissa Mandi now misses the club's next La Liga fixture, which is against Athletic Club after the International break.
#5 Antoine Griezmann's struggle up-front continues, despite getting on the scoresheet
For the first-half of the game, Antoine Griezmann seemed to revel in a new role as he played just behind Ansu Fati as second striker - stepping into the shoes of a certain Lionel Messi.
Griezmann's general play was fine, linking up well with fellow France international Ousmane Dembele; he assisted the latter's first goal.
But the forward found no luck in front of the net himself, driving three shots wide off the goal inside the first 30 minutes. Griezmann's best chance from the open play came as early as in the fourth minute of the match, when the ball fell at his stronger left foot on the edge of the box with plenty of time to line up his shot. But the former Atletico Madrid main man drove his shot wide.
The 29-year-old had another golden chance in the 33rd minute, as Barcelona got a spot-kick to double their lead. However, in a fashion typical of a player severely lacking confidence, Antoine Griezmann took a rather poor penalty-kick which was saved by Claudio Bravo with relative ease. This was the fourth straight effort Griezmann had missed from the spot, for club and country - an indication of his utterly poor recent form in front of goal.
Thanks to Lionel Messi, there was some respite for Griezmann as he tapped in into the empty net early in the second half. But if the goals don't start coming soon and regularly from Barca's €120m acquisition, he may find it difficult to hold on to his starting spot over a teenage Ansu Fati shooting for the stars and a resurgent Ousmane Dembele.
