Barcelona survived a tricky encounter with Real Betis during Saturday's La Liga action, beating the Andalusians 2-0 to reclaim the top spot in the standings.The Catalans barely got a foot right during a first half that was dominated by poor decisions from the official, butIvan Rakitic opened the score early in the second half after a major defensive blunder.Luis Suarez made it 2-0 in the final 10 minutes, ensuring his team didn't slip up in the race for the title. Betis' Heiko Westermann was sent off in the first half.As the Catalans official Twitter account shared, manager Luis Enrique sent his strongest XI out for this vital clash, including Suarez, who came into the contest having scored eight goals in his last two outings:Given Barcelonas strong form, most fans and pundits likely expected the Blaugrana to come out on fire and immediately soak up the spotlight. Instead, referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz was the most talked-about protagonist during the first half.From the opening whistle, Lahoz was particularly harsh on both teams, calling fouls for seemingly innocuous challenges and warning Betis coach Juan Merino he would be sent to the stands as soon as he voiced his displeasure.Yellow cards flowed freely as well, perAS English:His quick whistle had an effect on the product on the pitch, as neither team managed to build any kind of rhythm. As soon as one side strung together a decent sequence of passes, play would be stopped, allowing the defenders to get back in position.Ruben Castro should have done better for the hosts, taking too long with the ball and allowing Javier Mascherano to make a tackle and avoid the first shot on goal, as chances were surprisingly rare. Betis left loanee Charly Musonda on the bench to start the match, and with his pace, Real didnt present as much of a threat on the counter-attack as they would have liked.Barcelonas poor offensive start was an even bigger shock, however. Betis goalkeeper Antonio Adan barely had to make a stop in the first half, as the likes of Andres Iniesta kept missing the target with the few chances they had.Gerard Pique suffered a knock to his shin during a duel with Daniel Ceballos, who immediately apologised and clearly didnt mean to cause any harm, but the knock only made Lahozs tendency to draw cards even worse.Even Lionel Messi was yellow-carded for arguing, moments after Pique himself went into the book. Sports Rik Sharma weighed in on what he saw:Westermann also went into the book for a foul on Rakitic, who grew into the half and drove Barcelonas attack. Neymar also started to come to life, but chances remained rare.Seven minutes after his first booking, Westermann inexplicably slid into Rakitics feet again, despite the Croatian not being in any position to threaten, and Lahoz sent the German packing. Bleacher Reports Karl Machett was disappointed with the officiating, even if the sending-off was correct:But even with just 10 men on the pitch, Betis defended well and were barely troubled before half-time. After just one minute of added time, the teams went for the dressing rooms tied at 0-0.Barcelona started the second half in far better form, and Suarez missed an early chance after a great ball through from Neymar.The Catalans pressed for an opener and were gifted a goal after 50 minutes.German Pezzela completely fluffed his clearance and Adan overran Messi's cross, leaving Rakitic an open net. Agence France-Presse's Kieran Canning couldn't help but take a shot at the former Real Madrid stopper:Betis tried to answer back, but young winger Ceballos was a little too eager to get forward, engaging Pique and stomping on his Achilles in the process. The Spain international needed treatment for a second time in the match, but somehow, Ceballos escaped a yellow.Betis finally brought on Musonda, and the youngster immediately added a dash of creativity and raw pace to the midfield. While Barcelona still controlled the ball, Betisgrew back into the match, and they didn't give up too many chances to the Catalans' vaunted attackers.Suarez went close after 77 minutes, however, as Messi sent his team-mate through on goal with a superb pass, but Adan quickly came off his line and made a stunning save to deny the Uruguayan.Betis bravely defended their goal, but they finally cracked after 81 minutes, as Suarez scored the liberating second goal that all but ended the match. Again, Messi provided the chance with a smart pass, and this time, the former Liverpool man didn't miss.That was the signal for Enrique to introduce Arda Turan and shut things down defensively, playing out the final minutes and walking away with three points.All La Liga matches will be played simultaneously during the last two matchdays, with the first taking place on Sunday, May 8. Barcelona will host neighbours Espanyol, while Real Betiswill face Eibar.Post-Match ReactionAs shared by Barcelona's official Twitter account, Enrique doubts whether any of the title candidates will slip up in the final two weeks of the season:Bleacher Report UK shared the remaining schedules for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid:The Catalan derby against Espanyol is never an easy fixture, but at the Camp Nou, Barcelona will feel very confident they can beat their rivals. Espanyol have all but escaped relegation, and while they would love to beat the Blaugrana at their own ground, the team doesn't seem capable of spoiling Barcelona's title plans.The derby will be followed by a trip to Granada, who are still battling against the drop but have won just one of their last eight matches, prior to Saturday's clash with Las Palmas.Follow @ReverschPassRead more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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