Morocco star Abde Ezzalzouli scores against Barcelona in Spain

Moroccan international Abde Ezzalzouli found the back of the net for Real Betis, but his effort proved insufficient as Barcelona secured an emphatic 5-2 away victory in Saturday’s La Liga encounter.

The former Barcelona winger scored in the second half as the Catalan giants maintained their attacking dominance to claim all three points in the ninth-round fixture.

Barcelona made a bright start to the contest, with Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal opening the scoring in the ninth minute with a superb curling effort that left Real Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles with little chance.

The hosts responded in the 27th minute when Valentín Gómez headed home to restore parity. However, Barcelona regained the lead through Rodri, who scored his first goal for the Catalan club following an assist from Fermín López.

Real Betis thought they had drawn level again before the break, but their effort was ruled out by the referee following a handball by a Betis player, allowing Barcelona to head into half-time with the advantage.

Barcelona continued to dictate proceedings after the restart, extending their lead in the 51st minute when Gabriel Jesus converted a precise pass from Yamal.

Ezzalzouli responded just two minutes later, scoring in the 53rd minute against his former club to reduce the deficit and offer Real Betis renewed hope of mounting a comeback.

However, Barcelona remained in control and added two more goals through Eric García and Dani Olmo to complete a convincing 5-2 victory.

Yamal was substituted in the 70th minute, with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick bringing on Raphinha as the visitors managed their advantage.

The victory strengthened Barcelona’s position at the top of the La Liga standings, taking their points tally to 27, while Real Betis remained third with 19 points.