Betis’ great run in the Europa League was complicated by a fair defeat against PAOK, who beat them in the second half after a rather boring first half. The Andalusians must now defeat Feyenoord on the last day to advance to the round of 16 among the top eight in the standings, thus avoiding an intermediate round. Betis, in addition to forgiving a good opportunity to seal the pass and fall for the first time in Europe, lost two very important men in their scheme as. We will have to see the extent of both injuries, which come at a bad time for the Andalusian team, plagued by casualties. PAOK was the fair winner of the match, boosted by the entry of Konstantelias, a very interesting footballer.
Neither the Toumba stadium was hell nor did Betis go through excessive difficulties in the PAOK fiefdom. What’s more, the Greek fans were very respectful during the minute of silence for the victims of the Adamuz train accident and even a banner remembered the tragedy that occurred in Andalusia.
Yes, Betis, comfortably installed in the top eight of the standings, lacked a point of depth against PAOK. The Thessaloniki team is the leader of the Greek League, but it lacks the benefits that, for example, Betis itself has. A fiery team, which had the occasional approach to the Andalusian goal, with hardly any danger. Betis, with many casualties and without Lo Celso, reserved on the bench, was somewhat thick. He limited himself to controlling the game without showing his technical superiority. Pablo García did not play a role on the right wing and Deossa and Altimira did not prevail. The result was a 0-0 draw at half-time. More than predictable given the lack of quality of the Greek team and the lack of depth of Betis. Only Ruibal, Pellegrini’s all-rounder, had a chance in the 30th minute. The Catalan winger’s shot was repelled by goalkeeper Tsiftsis.
Betis maintained its indefinite line in the second half. Pellegrini brought in Lo Celso and Roca and from that moment on, negative events followed for the Andalusians. Lo Celso lasted five minutes on the field, injured, as well as Ruibal. Konstantelias changed the face of his team and the Greeks took the lead on the scoreboard after a play in which the defensive plot failed.
Pellegrini was forced to put two homegrown players in the fray, Dani Pérez and Morante (son of the bullfighter Morante de la Puebla), given the losses of a Betis that reaches the decisive stretch of the season as it is alive in the three competitions with many casualties in the squad.
Morante committed a clear penalty on Konstantelias and the second goal came for the Greek team, which put the victory on track, and, at the same time, their chances of qualifying for the next phase of this Europa League that looked so good for Betis. Now, after their first European defeat, the Betic team will have to face an important match in Vitoria against Alavés with half the team broken. Then, two life-or-death clashes against Feyenoord and the quarterfinals await.
“Lo Celso and Ruibal have suffered muscle injuries and will not be, at least, in the next two games, although we have to see the extent of them,” said Manuel Pellegrini. “We lacked punch and the injuries hurt us a lot,” added the Betic coach.
