With a goal in the fourth minute of added time, the green and white team beat Celje 2-1, the fourth in the Slovenian championship, and achieved their first victory in the championship stage of the UEFA competition.
If there is an aspect that is questioned Manuel Pellegrini during his tenure at the helm of Betis is linked to the fact that It still fails to stand out at European level. Even though they have managed to qualify for continental competitions every season since the arrival of the Chilean, the Verdiblancos have struggled to establish themselves in decisive instances on the international scene.
This Thursday, they had to train to achieve their first victory in the championship phase of the Conference League. It was a 2-1 final against Slovenia’s Celje, at home.
The Andalusians arrived at Thursday’s duel with the obligation to win at home to enter the fight for the classification, which Engineer Pellegrini had promised to fulfill after the draw against Copenhagen, in the previous Conference match. Considering the defeat against Legia Warsaw of Poland, in the first meeting, The need to win (even more so with the quality of the rival, the fourth in the Slovenian championship) was an imperative.
With the guarantee of reaching the clash with five games without defeat in all competitions, the Beticos came out with ‘Chimy’ Ávila and Cédric Bakambu on the offensive and several changes compared to the recurring starting team, as change of goal (Adrián San Miguel replaced Rui Silva), plus the replacement of the Moroccan Ez Abde and the Brazilian Vitor Roque.
It was a difficult start for the Hispanics because they did not dominate the actions. The first shot between the three sticks only took place in the 36th minute, thanks to the Argentinian “Chimy” Ávila. As the team was not fluid, the fans’ dissatisfaction with the team was noticeable. The first half ended with Betis having 54% possession and two shots on goal. It was not enough to harm a seemingly lesser rival.
In the second half, the team showed new offensive momentum, but failed to create clear chances or impose clear superiority over Celje. At the time of the match, Pellegrini awakened the hornet’s nest with the addition of Abde and Vitor Roque, in place of the young Mateo Flores and Bakambu (the latter made some errors during his withdrawal).
With 15 minutes remaining, Betis saw the light of day in the match, finding the opening of the account on a header from defender Natan, assisted by the Senegalese Sabaly. It seemed that the situation was improving for the Engineer’s team, However, everything collapsed in the 81st minute, as Juanjo Nieto scored 1-1 for Slovenia’s Celje.
Absolute disappointment at the Benito Villamarín stadium… until the fourth minute of added time. A goal from Juanmi in stoppage time gave them a victory as agonizing as necessary for the green and whites. Catharsis at the Benito Villamarín stadium.
This result redirects the discreet campaign that Real Betis Balompié was leading in the Conference League. With this result, the Andalusian team rises to 19th place in the league stage of the new UEFA competition, with four points out of 9 possible. They thus enter the qualification zone for the playoffs (round of 16). So far, six teams have the ideal score, a list led by Chelsea.
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.
