The La Roja goalkeeper was the best of the Verdiblancos, in the goalless draw against the Nervión team, in the Andalusian classic. Pellegrini’s team, which finished the match with 10 players, could not gain access to the Europa League.
Date 35 of LaLiga in Spain closed with nothing less than the Andalusian derby, a classic always special, whatever the time of the season. Manuel Pellegrini and Claudio Bravo’s Betis visited the Sánchez Pizjuán stadium and drew scoreless with Sevilla. The result is mainly explained by the stops of the Chilean goalkeeper.
The Nervión club welcomed the completely emboldened Héliópolis, having once again qualified for a Europa League final. Last Thursday they beat Juventus and accepted the great definition of the old UEFA Cup, an appointment in which they will face José Mourinho’s Roma. The desire of the cast led by the Engineer was to make the week of its neighbors bitter and thus fulfill a purpose, because a victory allowed them to secure their access to the next Europa League.
Just like last Monday, against Rayo Vallecano, Bravo was the starting scorer for Béticos, replacing Rui Silva. The Chilean DT sent his best on the pitch, except for Fekir, his big absence. The game started with a pleasant rhythm, back and forth. Of course, the intentions of the two teams did not imply a significant generation of chances in the rival area.
In fact, in the first 45 minutes, there was only one shot on goal, which came from Sevilla. At 22 minutes, Claudio Bravo’s first intervention took place, before a shot from midfielder Pape Gueye . Overall, José Luis Mendilibar’s team came closest to opening the scoring. Betis lacked a greater attacking presence. Borja Iglesias, his centre-forward, didn’t have much company. From midfield forward, the Verdiblancos had a lot to do.
For the second part, the evolution of the commitment has not changed too much. At minute 47, Rafa Mir missed it under goal, although had he managed to convert the play, it could have been called off for offside. In a duel with more battle than danger in the zones, Bravo’s interventions kept Betis in the game. Unlike the local goalkeeper, Marko Dmitrovic, The La Roja keeper was called upon more frequently and responded effectively to every attempt from Sevilla. An example of this happened at minute 64, when he made a double save, against back-to-back shots from Suso and Erik Lamela.
Offensively, Sevilla overtook Betis in the second half. For the same reason, he was closer to winning it. Already in the home straight, the Argentinian Lamela lost it to Claudio Bravo. With four minutes remaining, Betis remained at 10 due to the dismissal of Miranda, after a terrible kick on Jesús Navas. Initially, referee Gil Manzano gave the offender a yellow card, but later corrected by VAR. This action set fire to the epilogue of a quiet game at that time.
The point that Betis ended up taking, with difficulty after Miranda’s expulsion, was due to the performance of the national goalkeeper. In added time, another save from Bravo, on a header from En-Nesyri, kept the score at zero.
With this result, Pellegrini’s team remains sixth in the standings with 56 points in 35 games. He still cannot seal his pass in the Europa League 23-24. With nine points to play, they are six points clear of seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao. What is the chance of entering the Champions League? More than difficult. Betis are nine points behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad with just three rounds to play.
From a personal point of view, it is difficult for the Engineer to face the inhabitants of Seville. Since taking over the béticos bench, he hasn’t been able to beat those of Nervión. In La Liga there are six games in history and this Sunday they drew their third draw.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
