Betis stops Girona's inertia
Betis and Girona tied in a duel with two sides, in which the Catalans were superior and took the lead in the first half, although the locals reacted well and equalized almost at the end with a goal from Germán Pezzella. A penalty converted by Artem Dovbyk was not enough for the people of Girona to take the victory because, when they were caressing it, Pezzella returned the tie two minutes from the regulation 90 by hooking a loose ball at the exit of a corner. [Narrative and statistics (1-1)]
Benito Villamarín examined the strengths of two leading teams with excellent records at home and away, respectively, with an undefeated Betis in LaLiga at home (five wins and three draws) and a spectacular Girona at home (seven wins and one draw). , despite the losses, six in the Andalusians and seven in the visitors.
Manuel Pellegrini's team initially opted for unchecking and verticality against a visiting team that was also dominant.. The leader took control and possession based on a combinative game, aids, high pressure and steals, but he failed to create real dangerous actions and, therefore, finishing against a Betis that soon suffered the setback of the injury to Héctor Bellerín, replaced after a quarter of an hour by Aitor Ruibal.
Isco's absence
The Verdiblancos were not daunted by the visitors' proposal and, with a game of speed, little pause and looking for spaces, they even had more chances halfway through the first half.. In Girona, Sávio's work stood out. After the restart, William Carvalho replaced Andrés Guardado and the Andalusian team took a step forward.
However, deprived of Isco, Betis lacked clarity at the time of the last pass. In search of fresh air, Pellegrini introduced a triple change, with special mention for Ez Abde, very incisive on the left. This did not change the script much, because although the Betis dominated and took the initiative, they barely found clear shots against Girona's orderly defense, which, in addition, lost control and the ball, and in the end they paid for it, since at the start From a corner, in the 88th minute, Pezzella leveled with a great shot.
The 1-1 score woke up Míchel's team, but Daley Blind missed a shot in added time and Cristhian Stuani ran into Rui Silva, although this action was annulled for offside, with which Betis secured a tie that It left a good taste in his mouth.