Barcelona scored a last-gasp 4-2 victory over Real Betis on Sunday, with stoppage-time goals from substitute Joao Felix and striker Ferran Torres, who sealed his hat-trick, easing pressure on manager Xavi Hernandez in a struggling season.
After being beaten by arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final and struggling in a comeback win against third-division club Unionistas to make it to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals last week, Barcelona was once again up against it but came out with an important win.
Torres gave Barcelona the lead in the 21st minute when he tapped in a cross from Pedri’s right side. In the 49th, he extended the advantage from a rebound after a goal from Lamine Yamal struck the crossbar. However, Betis fought back, with Isco scoring twice in four minutes to tie the game.
In the 91st minute, Felix took advantage of a quick counterattack as Betis dominated possession to score a beautiful goal past the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. Torres scored his third and Barcelona’s fourth goals on another counter-attack three minutes into extra time to secure a hard-fought victory for last year’s champions, giving Betis their first home loss of the season. Barcelona are third in the LaLiga standings with 44 points.