Barcelona, Oct 18 (V7N)- Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of the Spanish La Liga table with a thrilling 5-2 victory over Real Betis, extending their winning run to 11 consecutive matches in all competitions.

Lamine Yamal stole the spotlight with a spectacular long-range goal, while Rodri scored his first goal for Barcelona. Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia and substitute Dani Olmo also found the net in the seven-goal encounter at Betis' home ground, Estadio La Cartuja.

The match featured attacking football from both sides, with Barcelona eventually taking control through clinical finishing and a numerical advantage.

Yamal opened the scoring with a powerful long-range effort after dribbling outside the penalty area. Betis responded 17 minutes later when Valentin Gomez headed home a cross from Pablo Fornals to level the score at 1-1.

Barcelona regained the lead late in the first half as Rodri, who joined the Catalan club from Manchester City during the summer, headed home a corner delivered by Fermin Lopez. It was his first goal for Barcelona.

Betis thought they had another opportunity to equalise before the break, but Giovani Lo Celso's volley was ruled out for handball.

Gabriel Jesus extended Barcelona's lead after the interval. His first header from a Yamal cross was disallowed for offside, but the Brazilian striker soon scored again, converting another delivery from Yamal to make it 3-1.

Betis reduced the deficit to 3-2 through Abde Ezzalzouli, who scored on a counterattack and briefly raised hopes of a comeback.

However, the hosts' task became significantly harder when Facundo Bernal received a straight red card for headbutting Yamal, leaving Betis with 10 players for the remainder of the match.

Barcelona capitalised on their numerical advantage to increase the pressure. Eric Garcia scored from close range after receiving a pass from Pau Cubarsi, restoring the visitors' two-goal cushion.

Substitute Dani Olmo completed the scoring in the final 10 minutes with a composed finish from the edge of the penalty area, sealing a convincing 5-2 win.

The victory further strengthened Barcelona's grip on the top spot. According to the supplied standings, they moved five points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid and nine points ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid.

With the Ballon d'Or announcement approaching, Yamal's outstanding performance added to the attention surrounding the young Barcelona forward.

END/SMA/AJ