The green and white, with several changes, lost 1-0 against Sparta and could not advance their access to the round of 16 of the tournament. They overtake Rangers, rivals of the last day, by a single point. In the process, they finished undefeated in 13 matches, all competitions combined. For his part, Ben Brereton added minutes to Villarreal’s victory.
He Real Bétis Balompié visited the Czech Republic in its best moment of the season. After starting the season 23-24 with doubts and a limited squad, the pace of the matches improved the appearance of the team led by Manuel Pellegrini. This Thursday, for the fifth day of Group C of the Europa League, they could take a fundamental step to ensure their access to the next stage. However, he stumbled. They lost 1-0 to Sparta Prague and in some ways complicated their progression in the competition.
As usual, the arc had some new features. Claudio Bravo withdraws due to injury, the Portuguese Rui Silva returns, who was also absent from some presentations. This brought out the third goalkeeper of the first team, Fran Vieites, who was the star against Las Palmas last Sunday, for the local championship. Another comeback was that of Frenchman Nabil Fekir, who lasted a while on the pitch. He was replaced by Isco.
If it is true that the statistics reflect a certain superiority of Betis, this could not be demonstrated on the scoreboard. Unfortunately for the Engineer’s intentions, the situation would get complicated in the second half, when Sparta scored 1-0. In the 54th minute, Lukas Haraslin opened the scoring for the hosts with a shot at the far post.
Disadvantaged, Betis landed squarely in the opposite field, facing a rival who locked in to take care of the minimal difference. The Andalusians went for the equalizer and took possession of the ball, but they were not effective in the Czech area. There was no space. In the 77th minute, Borja Iglesias (Willian José’s replacement this season) made it 1-1 with a header, but the ball went narrowly wide. The Engineer took a risk as the epilogue approached, ending with a double 9: the former Real Sociedad came in to accompany the Panda.
Ultimately, the match ended in a defeat for Betis, giving breathing space to their rivals in terms of standings. They remain with 9 points, at the top of the group. Rangers had the chance to overcome it, but drew 1-1 against Aris of Cyprus. With this, the Scots are second with eight. Precisely, Betis will close the group stage against Rangers on December 14. at the Benito Villamarín stadium. A final for first place. It is good to remember that The first in each zone advances directly to the second round of the Europa League, while the second competes in a play-off against a third in the Champions .
Additionally, Betis ended a long unbeaten streak. The green and white team has gone 13 games without losing in all competitions.
Brereton adds
For group F, Villarreal beat Panathinaikos 3-2, with Ben Brereton on the pitch in the 68th minute. The Yellow Submarine led the Greeks 3-0 thanks to goals from Baena (29′), Comesaña (34′) and Morales (47′). Of course, the panorama narrowed towards the last stretch. The Chilean team was set up in front next to Gerard Moreno and came very close to converting, ending their goal drought, but goalkeeper Brignoli prevented it twice.
With a game in hand, Marcelino’s team is second with nine points, three behind Frenchman Rennes, and At least the playoffs before the round of 16 are assured.
For its part, Gabriel Suazo started Toulouse’s goalless draw against Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium in Group E. The purple team is second in its zone with eight units and needs one more to ensure its passage to sixteenth. This group has already been won by Liverpool, who beat Austrians LASK 4-0. The Reds advance directly to the round of 16.
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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.
