Tottenham take note as Real Betis prove you can take Barcelona on at their own game and win

Tottenham take note as Real Betis prove you can take Barcelona on at their own game and win
Playing attacking football against Barcelona is suicide, the common wisdom goes. Yet thats exactly what Real Betis did on Sunday afternoon, at the Camp Nou no less, and the result was four goals past the reigning La Liga champions and their first league win there in 20 years.The performance from the Andalucians was admirably brave and will provide encouragement for Baras upcoming opponents in key games not least Tottenham, who will travel there in what could be a huge fixture for their European ambitions in a months time.3

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Seven goals, a red card, a goal awarded following a tense wait for a VAR decision in added time, and two teams who only wanted to attack. The thriller in the Catalan capital may just be the craziest game anywhere for a long time. Do yourself a favour and watch it, if you havent already.Barcelona havent conceded four in the league since May, and that was away. The last time they did so at home was 15 years ago in 2003, Barcelona 2-4 Deportivo back when Deportivo were league title challengers. With the way this weekends fixture started, you wouldnt have guessed the outcome. Betis initially struggled to play their way out of Barcelonas high pressure and came close to giving away an early goal in the first few minutes.Yet absolute faith in their style, their perseverance quickly started to pay off. Seven minutes in, Loren pressed high and forced Sergio Busquets into a mistake, and the move ended with Lo Celso crossing to Joaquin in the box. The 37-year-old only needed to keep the ball down and Betis would have been ahead, but couldnt quite pull it off.Not long after they were ahead regardless. William Carvalhos perfectly weighted pass set up Junior, running into space and taking advantage of Sergi Robertos defensive frailties to open up room for a shot and then fire the ball into the net.3

Junior celebrates putting Betis ahead against Barca

Spain coach Luis Enrique, watching on from the stands, must have been reminded of the kind of lethal counter-attacks his Barcelona side used to kill so many opponents with, so well-executed was the move.The second, again from Betis, would have equally pleased anyone who loves the more traditional, vintage-style Bara. Pressed hard by the Blaugrana who were looking to equalise, Betis insisted on playing with patience and zip, passing their way out of trouble then finding Junior again, who set up Joaquin. The club icon, a lifelong Betis fan, didnt miss at the second time of asking.3

Joaquin celebrates hios strike for Real Betis against Barcelona

It was a perfect first half from the visitors. Catalunya Radio commentator Ricard Torquemada noted that it has been years since a team came to the Camp Nou and so comprehensively bettered Bara. Lesser teams and lesser managers would have been tempted to fall back after the break and try to defend the lead, fearful of the inevitable push-back from the Liga giants.Not Quique Setien and not this Betis. When Lionel Messi halved the deficit with just over an hour gone, Betis kept playing football. Within three minutes they were two ahead again, Lo Celso slamming home a shot past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen from a move during which every player other than goalkeeper Pau was in Barcelonas half. 

Here's where the Betis defence was in the build up to their third. At the Camp Nou. THAT is footballing bravery. pic.twitter.com/jhG8ZtFCKX— Lee Roden (@LeeRoden89) November 11, 2018

The fact that once they scored their first goal, Betis were never not ahead in the game says much: when Arturo Vidal cut the lead to one goal once more, Betis still continued to attack. It paid off, not only through Canales scoring the away teams fourth, but also the sending off of Ivan Rakitic, who when faced by green and white shirts surging forward in numbers, felt sufficiently scared to bring down Lo Celso and concede a second yellow card. By that point Barcelona were already desperate enough to be playing with Gerard Pique as an auxiliary striker.The home team would get a final goal in added time thanks to VAR overturning an incorrect offside decision, but when the final whistle blew and confirmed the Betis win, the overwhelming feeling was that Bara had been out-pressed, out-passed, out-counterattacked and in general, simply out-played. There was even some applause from the Camp Nou in recognition. The best opponent weve seen here in a long time, one fan walking past the press box admitted. All because Betis had dared to attack. Days like today, people who really love football will be happy, away boss Setien concluded in his press conference.Managers of teams who also love to play attacking football will be equally happy. The result proved that the brave approach taken by Betis can pay off with big results, and should be a lesson for anyone else going to the Camp Nou in the future.Mauricio Pochettino, take note.

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