Pablo Fornals emerged from a tedious derby, which tasted like glory to the green and white fans after seven consecutive unsuccessful assaults on the fiefdom of the eternal rival from the capital of Andalusia. The playmaker scored a goal after taking advantage of a blunder by Mendy, scoring with class and pause. Then he had talent and football, which had been missing before, to fill half of Seville with joy. With the Spanish international at a high level, picking up Isco and Lo Celso, Betis could be happy to the point of destroying a Sevilla that broke down in a horrible second half. Matías Almeyda played with a very daring double substitution and his team broke down. Betis won, fairly, because they are better and because only one player, Fornals, broke the rules to impose his differential status.
0
Odysseas Vlachodimos, Juanlu Sánchez, José Ángel Carmona, Marcão (Kike Salas, min. 45), César Azpilicueta, Peque Fernández, Djibril Sow (Lucien Agoumé, min. 69), Batista Mendy (Alexis Sánchez, min. 60), Chidera Ejuke (Miguel Sierra, min. 78), Alfon González (Isaac Romero, min. 60) y Akor Adams
2
Álvaro Valles, Valentín Gómez, Aitor Ruibal (Rodrigo Riquelme, min. 88), Natan, Marc Bartra, Nelson Deossa (Sergi Altimira, min. 62), Pablo Fornals (Ricardo Rodríguez, min. 89), Marc Roca, Pablo García (Ángel Ortiz, min. 71), Abde Ezzalzouli and Cucho Hernández (Chimy Ávila, min. 89)
Goals
0-1 min. 53: Forals. 0-2 min. 67: Sergi Altimira
Referee José Luis Munuera Montero
yellow cards
Bartra (min. 41), Aitor Ruibal (min. 51), José Ángel Carmona (min. 74), Marcao (min. 85), Chimy Ávila (min. 93)
red cards
Isaac Romero (min. 83)
There was, in the end, even a stoppage of several minutes due to the throwing of objects from the Gol Norte stands of the Pizjuán. Munuera Montero, the Andalusian referee who directed the derby, applied the established protocol in the case of throwing objects. First it was announced over the public address system. As the shots continued, the referee went into the locker room and provisionally postponed the game in the 87th minute. The police were deployed in the stands and the game resumed 15 minutes after the break.
Many Sevillistas left the Pizjuán after the temporary stoppage of the clash, while Betis did not attack them. Their collapse in the second half was colossal, since the green and white team had a chance of winning the derby even by a landslide. Fornals scored and Altimira supported him with a great shot from inside the area that went over Odysseas. Manuel Pellegrini achieved his second consecutive victory in a derby, something that Betis had not achieved since 1995. In fact, he had not triumphed in Nervión since 2018. The goals from Fornals and Altimira showed that in Seville, at the moment, Betis rules. The final party for the Betis fans and their players after the derby was important. Even Manu Fajardo, the entity’s sports director, jumped onto the grass wearing a green-and-white shirt. Sevilla is a ruin. He has never played a derby with so few football arguments. It is a very hard week for an entity that has lost its way in sports and social matters.
There weren’t too many football arguments to cling to in a tedious and boring first half. Sevilla, aware of their limitations, limited themselves to not failing and being more or less forceful in defense. He missed, of course, players like Vargas. But if the locals missed Vargas, the absences weighed heavily on Betis. Without Amrabat, Isco, Lo Celso and Antony, Pellegrini’s team left a lot to be desired.
The coach tried to counteract the lack of talent with the youth and Beticism of Pablo García, with Abde and Cucho as the best arguments in attack. Betis did not work, with Fornals lost, Roca not knowing what he was playing and a too conservative spirit. In fact, the full-backs, Ruibal and Valentín, did not go up their side even once in a first half to forget in green and white. Only Abde, with a long ball, was able to put Odysseas in trouble. The Greek goalkeeper responded with a good save to the Moroccan international’s centered shot. Fornals, without nerve, rushed on the rebound to throw the ball wide. It was the only occasion of a disappointing first act. The two teams seemed to sign zero with twenty pens. Betis’ inability to win a duel from the midfield onwards became exasperating.
Everything changed when Fornals smelled Mendy’s weakness. The Sevilla midfielder controlled in front of his goal, lost the ball and the Betis playmaker got into the eternal rival’s area. He cut back with class and beat Odysseas. Betis already commanded with ease in the derby. The full-backs were now able to go on the attack and the spaces opened up for the runs of Abde and Cucho. Altimira scored the second goal and Betis’s performance was monumental. If the green and white players had been close, the result of the derby would have been scandalous. Sevilla, sunk, had no answers. With a very controversial ending, logic prevailed in the derby. The best, Betis, won, driven by a Fornals that rose above mediocrity.
