You have to do things very well to defeat a team like Villarreal. Betis had the best game of the season to defeat by total, which had won eight of its last league games and was even fighting for the title with the competition’s greats. The green and white team offered their best version, with Lo Celso and Antony at a high level, very well accompanied by players like Fornals, Altimira and Roca. And also for Ruibal, a luxury squire who plays in all the positions where Manuel Pellegrini puts him and who contributed with his goal to the victory. He was the best Betis of the course. And it has merit because it is alive in all the competitions and, with the victory, it settles in the European positions to take advantage of Espanyol’s stumble in fifth place.
2
Álvaro Valles, Aitor Ruibal, Natan, Marc Bartra, Valentín Gómez, Pablo Fornals, Marc Roca, Antony (Ángel Ortiz, min. 88), Sergi Altimira, Giovani Lo Celso (Rodrigo Riquelme, min. 78) and Chimy Ávila (Pablo García, min. 71)
0
Luiz Júnior, Juan Foyth, Pau Navarro (Santiago Mouriño, min. 45), Alfonso Pedraza (Sergi Cardona, min. 45), Renato Veiga, Tajon Buchanan (Ayoze Pérez, min. 74), Dani Parejo, Alberto Moleiro (Carlos Macià, min. 80), Santi Comesaña, Gerard Moreno (Nicolas Pépé, min. 64) and Georges Mikautadze
Goals
1-0 min. 56: Ahitor Rubal. 2-0 min. 82: Forals
Referee Victor García Verdura
yellow cards
Alfonso Pedraza (min. 35), Valentín Gómez (min. 69), García (min. 73), Santiago Mouriño (min. 79), Bartra (min. 85), Rodrigo Riquelme (min. 94)
red cards
Comesaña (min. 75)
Villarreal also had its options, less than those of Betis, but in those moments the figure of goalkeeper Valles emerged, who performed at a high level, as did Junior in the opposing goal. Great victory for Betis, closer in football than the nine-point distance marked in the classification. Villarreal was red-carded to Comesaña in the 77th minute for a harsh action on Lo Celso.
Betis and Villarreal had a wonderful first act. The only goal was missing in a match between two very good teams, who played at high intensity and had scoring chances to take the lead on the scoreboard. It was a fluid clash, with Víctor García, the referee, letting the game play, where perhaps it was Betis who put the most on the field. The green and white team had doubts in the league competition and took the match very seriously. Pellegrini reinforced his midfield. It is also true that Villarreal is a team that allows play, that does not feel too uncomfortable being dominated to launch itself very well on the counterattack. And it has very fast and talented players, such as Buchanan, Moleiro or Mikautadze.
Betis warned first with a great shot from Chimy Ávila, the starter after his two goals in the Cup against Elche. Villarreal reacted quickly with two very dangerous actions by Mikautadze and Pedraza, to the point that they had a very clear chance where Valles saved the goal scored against Mikautadze himself. The game was a delight. Betis, more dominant, with more arrival, needed to hit. after Valentín couldn’t hole out in the six-yard box. Junior’s stoppage was enormous. In the 40th minute it was Betis’s best chance up to that point.
The exchange of blows continued in the second half. Junior excelled against another great shot from Roca, while Villarreal responded with two actions by the dangerous Buchanan, one of the good wingers. The match was uncorked with Ruibal’s goal. The service that Ruibal provides to his team is commendable. He performs in defense and attack, he adapts to a thousand functions and he has a goal. Ruibal received Antony’s pass, stopped by Parejo, and made it 1-0.
Betis grew in the game, but it was again Valles who saved the tie with another save against Buchanan. The clash was definitively sealed with the red card for Comesaña, who saw the red card after a dangerous challenge on Lo Celso, with whom he had outstanding accounts. , made the second after a trademark shot. There was no longer a match. Betis combined and combined against the desperation of this good Villarreal, who, however, saw their great streak at La Cartuja broken.
“Comesaña’s action is quite avoidable. We made a mistake because there was a lot of time left. I am satisfied with the work, but we have to avoid that action,” said Marcelino, the Villarreal coach. “I didn’t even see the play, but the action is avoidable. He decided to take a red card. A footballer’s nose was broken in an elbow and it wasn’t even a foul. I have nothing to say. But it is the fourth time that there are ten of us left. That must be avoided,” he added.
“There are few teams that are between competitions. They had a whole week to prepare for the game. The important thing is to maintain regularity and conviction in what is done beyond losing a game at a certain moment. I instill an idea and I am very happy with what is being done, assuming that there are games in which it could have been done better,” Betis coach.
