Sports
Real Betis Stun Barcelona In 7-Goal Thriller
Ten man Barcelona were crushed 3-4 Sunday afternoon at the Camp Nou with Real Betis handing them their second La Liga defeat of the season.
Returning star Lionel Messi scored a brace, to record his 14th goal of the season, but his efforts were not enough as the visitors capitalised on Barcelona’s leaking defence to score four times.
It was Barcelona’s first home defeat in more than two years.
The last time they lost at home was in September 2016, against Alaves.
Now Betis have ended Barca’s 42 games unbeaten run , with a brilliant, counter-attacking display.
Junior Firpo and Joaquin had put Betis two up at the interval before Messi sparked hopes of a comeback from the spot.
Giovani Lo Celso then capitalised on a rare mistake from Marc-Andre ter Stegen only for Barca to come again, Arturo Vidal making it 3-2, having come on as a substitute.
Ivan Rakitic was sent off, however, with nine minutes left and Sergio Canales added a fourth for Betis before Messi poked home in the 92nd minute.
Barca stay top of the table despite the defeat but their lead is down to one point, with Atletico Madrid now breathing down their necks in second, while Espanyol will have a chance to move level on points with the Catalans when they visit Sevilla later on Sunday.
Ernesto Valverde’s Barca play Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano after the international break.
Betis seemed faster, sharper and hungrier while Barcelona’s midfield was repeatedly carved open on the break.
It took five passes for the opener, the last a first-time drive from William Carvalho to free Junior down the left. He weaved inside Sergi Roberto and found the net.
Barca had chances. Messi’s free-kick found Clement Lenglet on the stretch but his lunging finish was tipped over by Pau Lopez. Ter Stegen denied Cristian Tello with his legs.
Betis were soon pouring onto Barca´s defence again, with Junior’s cross evading everyone before finding Lo Celso on the opposite side of the box. His cute cut-back picked out veteran winger Joaquin, who stabbed in Betis’ second.
Vidal replaced the jaded Arthur Melo at half-time and shot within a minute of the restart. Messi feathered a through-ball for Sergi but Betis survived the scramble as Luis Suarez lashed wide.
Barca had the momentum and in the 68th minute, they pulled one back, with Jordi Alba pulled down by Tello, and Messi converting the penalty for his eighth league goal of the season.
But the comeback stalled three minutes later as Betis restored their two-goal advantage. Ter Stegen made the error, letting Lo Celso’s shot slip through his fingers and into the far corner.
Barca were not done yet. Two substitutes combined for a second, Munir El Haddadi laying on Vidal to make it 3-2 but no sooner had the recovery began again, it was halted.
First, Rakitic was sent off, a second yellow card for a late challenge on Lo Celso, and then Canales pushed in Betis’ fourth from Junior’s cross.
Messi added his second in injury-time, tapping a Vidal pass over the line. The video assistant referee deemed Messi onside but there was no more late drama as Betis held on for a shock victory.
A place as Africa’s representative in the 2026 World Cup inter-confederation playoff is at stake as Nigeria face Congo DR on Sunday in Rabat.
The Super Eagles are bidding to reach the global showpiece for a seventh time, while the Leopards chase only their second appearance at the mundial.
Towing the long path to World Cup qualification through a last-point resurgence, Nigeria characteristically took the hard route to victory when they faced Gabon in the African playoff semi-final on Thursday.
A gift from the Panthers saw Akor Adams open the scoring in the 78th minute, though Eric Chelle’s men failed to hold on as Mario Lemina levelled matters one minute into added time.
Victor Osimhen’s howler of a miss brought a dramatic end to the regulation period, though the Galatasaray striker atoned with a brace in extra time after substitute Chidera Ejuke nudged Nigeria back in front, sealing a 4-1 victory.
The three-time continental champions have now won five of their last six outings, netting 10 times and conceding just thrice across the most recent three, so confidence is expected to be high heading into Sunday’s African finale.
This will mark the first competitive meeting between the sides, who have not faced each other since a 1-1 friendly draw in 2018, which remains the only stalemate in the previous six encounters, with Nigeria winning two and Congo victorious in three.
The Congolese progressed to the playoff final in dramatic fashion as captain Chancel Mbemba’s stoppage-time goal handed the Leopards a hard-fought victory against Cameroon on Thursday.
Sebastien Desabre’s men have now won each of their last three outings by a solitary goal, reflecting a side that has thrived through defensive solidity rather than attacking flourish.
Congo will hope that reliable record counts on Sunday as the team aims to take a step closer to fulfilling a long-awaited dream, having not made an appearance at the World Cup since 1974, when the nation competed as Zaire.
Standing in the way of that achievement is a Nigerian team ranked 19 places higher on FIFA’s current World Rankings, though the 60th-placed Leopards may not be overly concerned going into this match as underdogs after facing 54th-ranked Cameroon.
Troy Parrott’s stoppage-time winner rounded off a hat-trick that saw the Republic of Ireland sensationally come from behind to claim an epic 3-2 victory over Hungary, sealing a play-off spot and ending the hosts’ FIFA World Cup dreams.
Three sides were battling for a top-two finish in Group F ahead of the final round of fixtures, with two of those teams facing off in Budapest.
Cheered on by a fervent crowd inside the Puskas Arena, it was the hosts who struck first in the fourth minute through Daniel Lukacs.
Dominik Szoboszlai played a quick one-two with Liverpool team-mate Milos Kerkez from a short corner, which Lukacs successfully converted with a diving header at the near post.
It was the worst possible start for the Irish, but they restored parity from the penalty spot after Attila Szalai was penalised for kicking Chiedozie Ogbene’s trailing leg inside the box.
Parrott successfully dispatched the subsequent spot-kick, knowing one more goal without reply would seal at least a playoff place.
Marco Rossi’s side responded with vigour, as Caoimhin Kelleher denied Roland Sallai from deep inside the box after being superbly picked out by Lukacs’ ball from the right-hand side.
However, Barnabas Varga re-established their lead before half-time with an outstanding strike, expertly bringing down Kerkez’s cross before unleashing an unstoppable left-footed effort past Kelleher.
Al-Ittihad midfielder N’Golo Kante admits a return to Ligue 1 could happen next year.
Currently back with the France squad this week, Kante attracted an approach from Paris FC over the summer.
The Ligue 1 new-boys are expected to try again in 2026 and Kante admits nothing is being ruled out regarding his future.
He told Telefoot: “We’re focused on the season at Al-Ittihad. We’ll see what happens afterward, but what I want is to make the most of the years of football I have left.
“And I hope it will be a full year at all levels.”
Asked if that will include a return to Ligue 1, Chelsea legend Kante replied: “You never know…”
<im
-
Entertainment4 years agoBBNaija: “Shameful For A Married Woman” – Boma, Tega Doing ‘Stuff’ Under Duvet Sparks Outrage (See Video)
-
Entertainment4 years agoSinger, Oxlade In Big Mess After His Sex Tape With A Strange Lady Surfaces Online (Watch Video)
-
Entertainment5 years agoBBNaija: Kiddwaya Sucks Erica’s Boobs, Licks Dorathy’s Neck In Truth Or Dare Game (Video)
-
Entertainment3 years agoI’m Not Ashamed Of My Leaked Nude Photos, Ifunanya Confesses (See Photos)
-
Crime4 months agoNDLEA intercepts Saudi, UK-bound cocaine in lipsticks
-
Entertainment5 years agoI’m Not Sick But Only Lost Some Weight – Kiss Daniel
-
Crime7 months agoNDLEA seizes N3.4bn worth of opioids in Lagos, PH, uncovers drugs in chocolate tins
-
Entertainment5 years agoHow Women Should Act During Sex – Actress, Blessing Okoro Reveals (Vdeo)