Barcelona: Ferran Torres scored a first-half hat-trick as FC Barcelona roared back from conceding an early goal to beat Real Betis 5-3 in La Liga on Saturday, Xinhua reported.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Antony put Betis ahead in just the sixth minute of the match. However, Barcelona quickly took control of the game. Torres scored twice in quick succession, after 11 and 13 minutes, to overturn Betis’ early lead. Swedish winger Roony Bardghji added a third goal on the half-hour mark, and Torres completed his hat-trick in the 40th minute.
Lamine Yamal’s penalty around the hour mark extended Barcelona’s lead to 5-1. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick then made strategic substitutions, resting key players like Pedri. This allowed Betis to claw back two late goals, scored by Diego Llorente and Cucho Hernandez.
In another match, Alex Berenguer secured Athletic Bilbao’s victory with a late strike in their 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid. His left-footed shot from outside the penalty area beat goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the 85th minute.
Villarreal enjoyed a 2-0 win at home against Getafe. The match turned when Getafe’s midfielder Pere Milla received a red card in the 47th minute. Tajon Buchanan capitalized three minutes later to put Villarreal ahead, and Georges Mikautadze doubled the lead in the 64th minute, reinforcing Villarreal’s third place in the table.
Deportivo Alaves claimed a 1-0 victory in a Basque derby against Real Sociedad, with Lucas Boye’s penalty in first-half injury time being the decisive factor. Meanwhile, Oviedo and Mallorca played to a 0-0 draw on Friday.