Real Betis 1 Barcelona 1: No goal-line technology robs Barca of precious points as Catalan giants miss chance to go top
Luis Suarez rescued a valuable point late on but the thrilling clash was marred by controversy
LUIS SUAREZ grabbed a dramatic late equaliser for Barcelona but no goal-line technology cost the title challengers two precious points in Sevilla.
Alex Alegria gave Real Betis a deserved lead with 15 minutes left on the clock after heading in from a corner.
But moments of conceding, Aleix Vidal's whipped cross was met by Suarez whose shot was hacked away from inside the goal by the defender.
Barca's stars were up in arms believing the ball had crossed the line and replays showed they had every right to be fuming with the decision.
The ball was clearly a foot over the line which is set to spark another huge debate in Spain over the lack of goal-line technology - the loss of points could prove crucial in the nail-biting title race.
The Uruguayan eventually got his redemption, when a horrible error in the Betis defence allowed Lionel Messi to slot the ex-Liverpool striker through on goal before making no mistake.
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In truth, Messi and co didn't deserve all three points, their opponents were sensational throughout.
Luis Enrique's side looked way off their best in the first-half and were clearly missing Sergio Busquets sitting deep in midfield.
Betis were countering well and moved forward with style and grace. The only criticism of their first-half performance was the number of blatant dives in and around the Barca box.
But it was only after the first goal that the game really sparked into life.
Rizi Durmisi was so unlucky to see his shot come off the post but from a resulting corner, Alegria beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen to the ball to head home.
But if Barcelona didn't know how they were level after having a perfectly good goal ruled out then they were left scratching their heads again a minute later.
Another Vidal cross was poked towards goal by the home defender only for Aissa Mandi to clear the ball off the line. This one was the correct call.
Barca kept up the pressure desperate for an equaliser and they were eventually awarded when Messi's through ball found Suarez in the box who grabbed his 16th league goal of the season.