Tie to nothing in Seville

Defenses advanced, midfield like a municipal swimming pool, crowded and disorderly, and lukewarm attacks. The Juventus hangover was noticeable in the first minutes of Sevilla FC. Real Betis answered with patience, without taking risks, waiting for their chance. The soccer was severe, with the complicity of Gil Manzano. Very disputed, with many stoppages, without showiness or danger. A derby, after all. With that mixture of rigor and looks.

José Luis Mendilibar and Manuel Pellegrini played with symmetrical pieces. Pape Gueye and Ivan Rakitic against Guido Rodriguez and William Carvalho. Two concrete mixers in the center circle. Rafa Mir took the lead for Los Nervionenses.. In the first half he disappeared, unassisted by Papu Gómez and Lamela, who wandered too far from the area, imprecise and erratic. In the Green and Whites’ half, Borja Iglesias was waging war on his side. Without space or fluidity, his threat was tender. At halftime, the teams went in with no chances. Before the halftime whistle, in the 40th minute, Óliver Torres crossed to Rafa Mir who, ahead of his marker in the small area, arrived to finish. Claudio Bravo answered with a superb close-range save. That the best chance of the first 45 minutes happened offside describes a match that was too dull, boringly even. Boxing with shadows. It’s hard to win while fearing to lose.

Rodri came on for Luiz Henrique after the refreshment break. Papu Gomez put a good ball to Mir in the goalmouth, but the striker shot bloodlessly into the side netting.. Óliver Torres retired injured. Suso came on to a standing ovation after his magical goal against Juve. Soccer continued to go downhill. Horizontal passing and containment. In the nervionenses, only Papu seemed awake. He was caracoleaba, fanned Sabaly and asked for it on his side. The game was still stuck. Little battles between players. A lot of spark and little fire.

The long possessions of Betis, led by Canales, never ended in Dmitrovic’s area. They were elaborate melodies, but lacked a hummable refrain.. In the 63rd minute, Suso shot after a good counterattack. Claudio Bravo responded well. He also responded well to his own rebound, which Lamela took, keeping the ball after the scare. The Chilean goalkeeper, without getting too dirty, appeased the enthusiasm of the hosts. The minutes were passing without much charm.

Without a prize

Mendilibar got bored with himself and brought on En-Nesyri and Bryan Gil to shake up the match. The Moroccan striker led a clear counterattack, but failed to pass to Lamela. Better executed, the play would have bordered on a goal. But it was not the night. Sevilla, in any case, had been in control of the match for a few minutes. They were scratching with their fingertips. He bit with his gums. He tried, but Betis defended comfortably. Pezzella and Luiz Felipe did their job with functional coolness. Fifteen minutes from the end, the visitors took a step forward. Rodri took risks and Juanmi followed suit.

Miranda and Joaquín took the field. The green-and-white captain was greeted with hostility. A withdrawal is not an armistice. Acuña and Navas gave oxygen to Sevilla’s fullbacks. Ten minutes remained and the nil-nil seemed chiseled in marble. The changes did not make the game too much livelier.. The slow workmanship, the unpredictability of a spinning vinyl: none. In the middle of the desert, a terrible tackle by Miranda on Navas exploded into a tangana. After consulting the VAR, Gil Manzano gave a red card to the newly-entered Betis full-back.

Seven minutes of stoppage time. Where soccer was not coming, was coming the heart, the rivalry, the weight of the colors. But even so, the score could not move. The game was opaque, the players gave up, and the distribution of points cooled the Sevillian night. A derby that will not go down in history, even though it came at a good time for both clubs.