A Juanmi goal late in the second half gave a solid Real Betis side a 1-0 victory against Barcelona at the Camp Nou to mark Xavi Hernandez’s first defeat in the Blaugrana dugout.
It took the game a long time to get going, with neither side creating much in the first half.
However, the visitors grew into the game and tried to hit on the counter, but they lacked a final pass in Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s box before the break.
Betis started the second half well and had a goal disallowed in the 52nd minute, when Juanmi managed to beat Ter Stegen from an offside position.
Ousmane Dembele came off the bench on the hour mark and made an immediate impact, with Barcelona attacking from his side and looking dangerous in the final third.
The Catalan side pushed forward and attempted to break down Betis’ defence from either dead balls or cutbacks in the box, but they failed to find the back of the net and were punished by the visitors as an in-form Juanmi netted on the counter to put his team ahead.
With the win, Betis climb up to third spot in the LaLiga Santander table, while Barcelona remain in seventh position after their second loss on home soil this season.
