LaLiga 2018-19, Barcelona 3-4 Real Betis: 6 reasons why Barcelona lost the match

#2 Rakitic’s red card

Rakitic was dismissed for Barcelona

Ivan Rakitic arrived Barcelona in 2014 after immense success with Sevilla as their captain, and he has gone on to achieve legendary status in the Barcelona midfield.

Doing his work alongside icons like Xavi and Iniesta, and Busquets, he is now serving as a mentor for the young Arthur.

He helped the club to a treble in his debut season, and has since then lifted two more LaLiga crowns, contributing immensely to each triumph, so his worth to the Barcelona cause is not in doubt.

On the night against Betis, he however cost his team dearly as he was dismissed for a second bookable offence on 81 minutes.

This happened just two minutes after Barcelona got their crucial second, which forced the home team to play out the final nine minutes one man down, and Betis getting their fourth not long after.

Any team is bound to suffer with a man down, and even though on another day Barcelona might well have coped with the dismissal.

The events that happened on the night at Camp Nou meant they were struggling even with the full complement of eleven players, and Rakitic’s red card condemned them to a first LaLiga defeat at Camp Nou in over two years.