Sharjah 24: Leading-place Barcelona failed to translate its dominance against host Real Betis into a clear victory, settling for a 1-1 draw.
Barcelona spurned a golden chance to extend their lead to six points clear of its direct pursuer and rival Real Madrid, who suffered a surprising 2-1 home defeat to Valencia in the 30th round of the Spanish Football League.
At the Olympic Stadium, Lluís Companys, in front of 47,043 spectators, Barcelona took the lead through Gavi (7), before Betis quickly equalised thanks to Brazilian Natan (17).
Nine consecutive matches
Barcelona, who had won nine consecutive La Liga matches before this draw and had not lost since the beginning of the year, raised their tally to 67 points, occupying first place, four points ahead of Real Madrid, before hosting Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals four days later.
Meanwhile, Betis, with their eighth draw of the season, moved temporarily up to fifth place with 48 points, ahead of sixth-placed Villarreal (47), who face fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao with 53 points.
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