Real Betis beats Osasuna in Laliga
They drop two points at home against Osasuna, which puts them further away from the Champions League race.
The continental hangover has taken its toll on Betis . Pellegrini ‘s team dropped two points against Osasuna at the Benito Villamarín , moving them away from the fight for the Champions League places , now three points behind after Villarreal ‘s victory this weekend. Cucho Hernández put the Verdiblancos ahead in the second half, but Budimir , who never misses his goal, made it 1-1, allowing the Rojillos to continue dreaming of Europe .
Three days after making history by qualifying for their first continental final, Betis had no choice but to make massive rotations to refresh a team exhausted by the schedule, the extra time against Fiorentina , the return trip, and the euphoria of the celebrations. Pellegrini made no fewer than eight substitutions, and the Betis team felt the need to possess less ball than usual against an Osasuna side that was heavily based on the starting lineup and firmly planted on the pitch.
Bryan Zaragoza , a natural challenger who never stopped trying against Ruibal , was the first to try his luck with a shot from the edge of the box. And although the Andalusian team reacted with a couple of attacks from Perraud down the left that Cucho failed to finish successfully, Vicente Moreno ‘s team were in control of the match, with Rubén García moving inwards, generating Rojilla superiority in midfield and creating problems for Adrián from set pieces.
The faster the match went, the better the Navarrese team felt. But when the pace was slower, Betis gradually managed to push the Reds back into their own box and create a few chances, such as a left-footed shot from Lo Celso that Sergio Herrera reacted well to. The first half passed uneventfully, with Jesús , now on the right, attacking without success, until the final minute saw the best moment: Bryan cut back twice, leaving Bartra and Ruibal behind , ending with a left-footed shot that Adrián turned out for a corner.
Budimir reacted to Cucho’s goal
It seemed that this was exactly Pellegrini ‘s plan : to keep the first half to a minimum and then try to make it work in the second half when his stars came onto the pitch. And the first to appear was Isco Alarcón , who immediately took control of the situation. However, the first chance to score after the break was Osasuna again, in a quick transition in which Oroz slipped a great ball to Bryan , who, one-on-one with Adrián , although slightly off his feet, shot wide.
Betis ‘s reaction was swift. First from the pitch, with a left-footed shot from Ruibal’s side of the box that Sergio Herrera caught in two passes… hurting his thigh; and then from the bench, with the Engineer bringing on Fornals and Antony to form a much more regular team. The Castellón native, in fact, almost gave his manager the prize he was looking for right away with a shot from outside the box that just missed the post.
In any case, it didn’t take long for the Verdiblancos to find their way to the goal. Isco , who else, created a wonderful assist for Cucho , caressing the ball, allowing the Colombian to beat Catena and head it into the back of the net. Osasuna called Perraud for offside at the start of the play, but the semi-automatic referee validated the Frenchman’s position. VAR also didn’t award a penalty for Boyomo ‘s foul on Abde immediately afterward.
The Reds’ bench wasn’t seeing it clearly and were preparing a triple substitution. But just before they could carry it out, their team found the equalizer. A great cross from Areso from the right was touched by Oroz ‘s back just enough for the ball to reach the left foot of Budimir , who never misses opportunities like this. The Croatian was close to turning the score around almost immediately after a mistake by Perraud from a cross from Catena , but Adrián saved his header.
The crossbar, on his first attempt from a Rubén Peña cross , and his poor aim, assisted by Kike Barja , prevented Raúl García de Haro from making good on the famous “law of the ex” on his return to the Benito Villamarín . The Brazilian Antony had the last chance with a volley that Herrera saved. This time he didn’t find the goal and the electricity of youth player Pablo García was of no use to Betis . Osasuna took advantage of Betis ‘ European hangover , which moves further away from the Champions League while the red-and-whites are still looking towards Europe .
