Barcelona held by Betis, miss chance to extend league lead
April 5 (Reuters) - Barcelona spurned the chance to extend their lead at the top of the LaLiga standings when they were held at home 1-1 by Real Betis on Saturday, with visiting defender Natan cancelling out Gavi's early opener.
The draw moves Hansi Flick's Barca on to 67 points, four ahead of rivals Real Madrid who slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home by Valencia earlier on Saturday, while Betis climbed to fifth on 48 points.
The hosts had been given further motivation by Real's shocking loss and had a great start when Gavi opened the scoring from close range, brilliantly assisted by Ferran Torres seven minutes after kickoff.
However, Natan headed the equaliser from a corner in the 17th minute and though they dominated, Barca could not find a way past 38-year-old goalkeeper Adrian.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Barca ready to 'go all out' for Luis Diaz after Liverpool contract comments
Colombian winger Luis Diaz could be a surprise departure from Liverpool this summer with Spanish giants Barcelona chasing his services having previously held interest in the former Porto star Luis Diaz's Liverpool future is in considerable doubt with Barcelona set to launch a raid for the winger. The Spanish giants have previously held an interest in the Colombian wideman but their dire financial situation has seen a move shelved. But that could all be set to change over the coming months. Diaz's future at Anfield is far from certain given he has just two years left on his current deal. It leaves Liverpool very few opportunities to earn a considerable amount for his services and it appears Barcelona have a plan in place. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan giants are going 'all out' to sign the former Porto star having abandoned a move for Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams. Liverpool are determined to keep Diaz after his standout season last term but Barcelona recognise that stance is completely 'normal' and could change towards the end of the window. The Spaniards believe the Reds might be more inclined to accept later this summer as they attempt to recoup some funds following heavy spending. Liverpool have already spent £35m on Jeremie Frimpong and are expected to break the British transfer record with a move for his former Bayer Leverkusen teammate Florian Wirtz. Meanwhile, Diaz has spoken out on his future and revealed that he has been holding talks with other clubs. Speaking in a Colombia press conference, he said: "We are currently in contact with Liverpool, because we are talking to clubs, and that's normal given the transfer market that's opening. We're trying to arrange what's best for us." He added: 'We're talking to clubs, it's normal in the market and we're looking at what's best for us. I'm waiting to see what happens. I'm very happy at Liverpool, I've always said so. They've welcomed me very well from day one. If they give us a good renewal or I stay there for two years, I'll be happy. Now it's up to them.' Diaz's father has already admitted that it would be a 'dream' for his son to one day represent Barcelona. He said: 'It is true that Luis is a loyal Barcelona supporter and that it would be his dream if he arrived at Barcelona. 'But, until this moment, thank Porto and Liverpool for the welcome with Luis and the way they received him. He is a player who has an easy time earning things because of his way of being, his humility, his work. He gives himself, he is a very disciplined player – thank God. 'If there are chances for Lucho to arrive at Barcelona, he would have no problem. Because it is an elite team and is among the first in the world.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Erik ten Hag 'tried to cancel disastrous Man Utd transfer' but was ignored
Antony will go down as one of the worst Manchester United transfers in recent memory after failing to justify his £85m price tag - and a recent report has claimed ex-manager Erik ten Hag never wanted him in the first place Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reportedly tried to stop the club signing Antony for £85million in 2022 despite previously working with the Brazilian at old club Ajax. However, it's claimed the club ignored him because they were worried Arsenal would swoop. Ten Hag bought two players with him from the Amsterdam club when he arrived three years ago, with Antony joining Lisandro Martinez, while fellow Dutchman Tyrell Malacia signing from Feyenoord. Last year he signed his old Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt. But Antony in particular struggled to repay that huge transfer fee and was heavily criticised over his inconsistent performances. In his first two seasons in the Premier League, he managed five goals and three assists. This season, he failed to start a game in the top flight under Ten Hag before he was sacked in October. Things didn't improve under his successor Ruben Amorim, who sent him on loan to Real Betis in January and he now looks set to leave the club in the near future after a hugely successful spell with the La Liga side - which just added to questions of whether it was the Brazilian or the culture at Old Trafford that was the issue. Now it's claimed Ten Hag never wanted to bring Antony to United in the first place and attempted to pull the breaks on the transfer, despite previous suggestions he was key to the move happening. The claim also suggests United pushed through with the move after learning Arsenal were set to make an approach for the player - but Ten Hag still supported him and tried to help him during his time at the club. Kees Vos, the co-founder of Ten Hag's agency, wrote in the book ' Liverpool and the Dutch': "Ten Hag and Vos were not in favour of this and wanted to stop the transfer. "But the club wanted to push through at all costs, because Arsenal was also interested in Antony. The risk of a stronger competitor would be great. Ultimately, Manchester United paid almost €100million for Antony. "Although Ten Hag did not support this transfer, it stuck with him throughout his entire time in Manchester that he took over the attacker from Ajax for this ill-fated amount, who was never able to fulfil his promise." Antony has been a much bigger success in La Liga, where he has scored nine goals and provided two assists and has become a much-loved member of the squad under new boss Manuel Pellegrini. Betis are hoping to sign him permanently this summer and Antony has previously spoken about how he has a smile on his face again after struggling with his mental health at United. In an emotional interview last month, Antony broke down in tears as he revealed he went days without eating and locked himself in his room. Speaking to TNT Sports Brazil, he said: "(Betis) changed a lot because i needed to find myself, because of everything I went through in my personal life. As I said, I wanted to do things, but they didn't see to work out because I wasn't happy, I didn't feel that desire to play football, and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved. "I went through difficult times [at United] when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even always told my brother, I told him that I couldn't take it anymore. [My brother] told me to hold on a little longer, that things were going to change. It even made me emotional, because they were very hard days for me." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
Andreescu and Alexandrova off to winning start as rain stops play in 's-Hertogenbosch
June 10 (Reuters) - Bianca Andreescu and second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova both kicked off their grasscourt campaigns with solid first-round wins at the Libema Open in Den Bosch, as rain caused significant delays throughout Tuesday's second day of play. Andreescu eased past Taiwan's Joanna Garland 6-1 6-3 as the 24-year-old Canadian put on a strong performance without facing a single break point and secured victory in 74 minutes. The former U.S. Open champion, who missed out on qualifying for Roland Garros, will next face New Zealand's Lulu Sun. Alexandrova advanced to the second round with a composed 6-3 6-4 win over Georgia's Mariam Bolkvadze, despite a lengthy rain delay disrupting the first set. The Russian returned from the interruption unfazed, taking control from the baseline and racing to a 5-2 lead in the second set. After being broken while serving for the match and facing another break point in her next service game, Alexandrova regained her composure to close out the win and set up an all-Russian second-round showdown with Anna Blinkova. The match between defending champion Liudmila Samsonova and Canada's qualifier Carson Branstine was tied at one set apiece before the game was suspended due to darkness. Branstine had stunned top seed Samsonova by taking the first set 6-4 before the Russian levelled the match by winning the second 7-5. Play will resume on Wednesday. In the men's draw, American Reilly Opelka also overcame several rain delays to see off local favourite Jesper de Jong with a hard-fought 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-2 victory. Several matches had to be postponed to Wednesday due to rain, including Polish fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, Briton Daniel Evans against Australia's Rinky Hijikata, and Greece's Maria Sakkari taking on Dutch wildcard Anouk Koevermans.
