Real Betis end Barcelona's 42-match unbeaten streak at Camp Nou
Lionel Messi's return to action for Barcelona ended in dismay when they were handed a 3-4 loss by Real Betis in their league match at the Camp Nou. Betis scored twice in the first half, each time reflecting the only lack in Barcelona's team- the defense. Messi netted in twice but could not prevent his team from losing the fixture. Read on for more.
Valverde offers his opinion on the loss
The match was Ernesto Valverde's 50th league fixture in charge as Barcelona manager, but it will be a match he would like to forget. Ernesto believes that the poor start by Barcelona was the reason they suffered so much in the match, with Junior and Joaquín netting in goals for Betis within 34 minutes. This was also Valverde's first league defeat at Camp Nou.
Barca's poor defense is the factor to blame
Barcelona's squad had one gaping hole since the start of the season and that proved to be their bane once again in the match. Their defense has been rather poor in this term, hardly ever managing to keep a clean sheet. The third goal came from Ter Stegen letting the ball slip through his hands. In 12 games, they have conceded 18 goals.
Some interesting records broken in the encounter
This match became the first ever which Barcelona lost despite Messi scoring two or more goals. The match was the first since April 2003 where Barca conceded four goals at the Camp Nou. Quique Setien, the Real Betis boss, has become the only manager to register league wins at both Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabeu in the last decade.
