Pellegrini Blames Controversial Decisions After Betis Fall 5-2 to Barcelona
Manuel Pellegrini accused the officials of having a decisive influence on Real Betis’ 5-2 defeat to Barcelona, singling out Giovani Lo Celso’s disallowed goal and Facundo Bernal’s red card as turning points in the La Liga encounter. The Betis manager said the calls disrupted a contest he believed had been closely balanced while both teams were playing with 11 men.
Barcelona claimed a convincing scoreline in the ninth round, but the result did little to ease Pellegrini’s frustration. Speaking to DAZN after the match at La Cartuja, the Chilean coach questioned referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea’s decisions and argued that they had a major effect on the game’s direction. His comments are likely to fuel further debate among fans following a match in which VAR and a second-half dismissal became central talking points.
Lo Celso’s disallowed goal sparks debate
The incident that drew the sharpest criticism came when Lo Celso appeared to score a goal that would have brought Betis level. After a VAR review, the referee ruled out the strike because of a handball by Cucho Hernandez in the build-up. Pellegrini disagreed with the decision, saying the contact was accidental and came after Hernandez was challenged by a Barcelona player.
“They were incomprehensible decisions; I couldn’t understand them,” Pellegrini said. He argued that Hernandez had been trying to reach the ball and intended to control it with his chest, but it struck his hand instead. In the manager’s view, the contact was neither deliberate nor an action that should have prevented Betis from being awarded the goal.
Handball decisions can be especially contentious because the outcome depends on the specific circumstances of the contact, including the player’s movement and the position of the arm. VAR can give officials another view of an incident, but it does not remove all room for interpretation. For Betis, the review was particularly painful because Lo Celso’s goal could have changed the score and renewed the home side’s momentum.
Pellegrini also pointed to what he considered fouls during the build-up to one of Barcelona’s goals. He felt the officiating was inconsistent and said the decisions came in a match where both sides had arrived intending to play attacking football. The coach’s criticism was not simply about one isolated call, but about how several incidents combined to shape the contest.
Bernal’s red card changes the match
Betis’ anger grew after Bernal was sent off in the second half. The midfielder became involved in a confrontation with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal. After Yamal shoved him, Bernal grabbed the winger around the head, prompting the referee to show him a red card.
Pellegrini believed the dismissal effectively ended Betis’ chance to compete on equal terms. The score was 2-1 at the time, and the manager said his side still had the technical quality and attacking options to threaten Barcelona. With one fewer player, however, Betis had to adjust its shape and cover more ground, leaving less room to build attacks and putting greater pressure on its defence.
“The sending-off ruined the match,” Pellegrini said, pointing to players such as Lo Celso and Pablo Fornals as examples of the creativity Betis had available. He also highlighted a one-on-one opportunity involving Héctor Bellerín, arguing that the team was still capable of creating dangerous moments before the dismissal altered the balance of the game.
A red card can transform a football match even when a team is only one goal behind. The side with 11 players can spread the play, press more aggressively and exploit the extra space, while the team reduced to ten often has to choose between protecting its goal and maintaining an attacking threat. That shift helps explain why Pellegrini considered the dismissal more than a disciplinary moment: he saw it as the point at which the match’s competitive structure changed.
Pellegrini says Betis had been competing evenly
The Betis manager insisted that the final score did not reflect the balance he had seen before Bernal’s dismissal. He said his team had been committed to keeping possession and had shown it could trouble Barcelona, widely regarded as one of Spain’s strongest sides. In Pellegrini’s assessment, the match remained open until the score reached 3-2.
That distinction matters when assessing the result. A 5-2 scoreline suggests a comfortable win, but it does not by itself show how competitive the game was at earlier stages or how a key decision affected the tactical picture. Betis’ argument is that the side was still within reach before the red card, while Barcelona were able to take fuller advantage once they had a numerical edge.
Barcelona, meanwhile, will take confidence from a high-scoring victory, while Betis must now regroup and focus on its upcoming fixtures. For Pellegrini, the challenge will be to restore his players’ confidence without allowing the controversy to overshadow the improvements his side showed in possession and chance creation.
Controversy adds another layer to the result
Refereeing decisions are an unavoidable part of football, but their impact is often magnified when they occur in quick succession or affect a possible equaliser and a player’s dismissal. Betis supporters are likely to focus on the disallowed Lo Celso goal and Bernal’s red card, while Barcelona fans will point to their team’s ability to take control and score five times.
Pellegrini’s post-match reaction reflects the frustration of a coach who felt his team’s performance was not given a fair chance to shape the outcome. Whether viewers agree with his interpretation or not, the two incidents will remain central to discussion of the match—and to any football prediction or analysis of Betis’ next performance. The result gives Barcelona three important points, but the debate over the officiating ensures the 5-2 scoreline will not be the only story remembered from La Cartuja.
