Barcelona player ratings vs Real Betis: Raphinha offers a response to exit rumors while Robert Lewandowski finds the net again
In a recent La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Betis, Raphinha proved his worth to the club with an impressive performance that included a goal and an assist. This came after a week of rumors about his possible departure from the club, and he showed that he was eager to fight for his place on the team. The Brazilian was instrumental in Barcelona's 4-0 victory, with Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski, and an own goal from Guido Rodriguez contributing to the scoreline.
Christensen opened the scoring for Barcelona with a well-taken header from Raphinha's cross. Lewandowski then added a second goal just three minutes later, turning in Jules Kounde's delivery for his 19th league goal of the season. Raphinha himself scored the decisive third goal before half-time, going around Rui Silva to find the back of the net. In the second half, an own goal from Rodriguez made it 4-0 for Barcelona.
The victory was a welcome one for Barcelona, who have struggled in recent weeks. While they have already secured the La Liga title, they will want to finish the season in style, and this performance suggested that they are capable of doing just that. Despite the slower pace of the second half, Barcelona continued to create chances and could have scored more goals on another day.
The win also allowed Barcelona to maintain their position at the top of the table, 11 points clear of Real Madrid. Marc-Andre ter Stegen had a relatively quiet night, making only one impressive save in a 1v1 situation against Juan Miranda. Kounde had one of his best games as a right-back, creating two brilliant chances and also picking up an assist from them. Araujo was solid at the back, clearing up pretty much every chance that came Barcelona's way and creating several moves for Balde. Christensen was superb both in defense and attack, opening the scoring and creating a chance as well. Balde had an exceptional game, making countless marauding runs on the left-wing and giving his opponents a tough time. Pedri was a bit dull in the opening minutes but picked up his game as the match went on, creating a few lovely chances and being unlucky not to have an assist. Busquets had another brilliant performance, keeping the ball rolling continuously in the middle of the park and getting an assist as well. De Jong was nimble and excellent with his distribution, as always, while Gavi did well to add control and grit to the midfield.
Lewandowski, however, had a mixed performance, getting a much-needed goal but also missing several chances and looking frustrated at times. Nonetheless, it was a dominant performance from Barcelona, and they will look to build on this as they prepare for their remaining matches in the season.
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