Las Palmas, the bottom of the First Division, carried out a survival exercise against a very gray Betis, where only Lo Celso shines. The Andalusian team had a very discreet start and was surpassed by its rival, who took the lead on the scoreboard with a goal from Moleiro. The green and white team, very weak throughout the match, only found football in Lo Celso, who equalized just before half-time after a good pass from Diao. It was the best offensive action by a Betis team that deflates as the games go by. It is a team under construction, and, at the moment, it has many problems in attack. Las Palmas, with its entire defense in the box, resisted with dignity in the second half against Pellegrini’s team, which has a hard time scoring. Bakambu, with a shot to the post, enjoyed the best Betic chance.
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Jasper Cillessen, Viti Rozada, Juan Herzog, Álex Muñoz, Daley Sinkgraven (Benito Ramírez, min. 45), Enzo Loiodice, Alberto Moleiro (Adnan Januzaj, min. 82), Sandro Ramírez (Oliver McBurnie, min. 43), Kirian Rodríguez , Dário Essugo (Javi Muñoz, min. 73) and Fábio Silva (Pejiño, min. 74)
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Rui Silva, Diego Llorente, Romain Perraud, Aitor Ruibal, Natan, Giovani Lo Celso (Iker Losada, min. 81), Pablo Fornals, Marc Roca (Sergi Altimira, min. 63), Johnny Cardoso, Abde Ezzalzouli (Chimy Ávila, min. . 74) and Assane Diao (Cédric Bakambu, min. 63)
Goals
1-0 min. 8: Alberto Moleiro. 1-1 min. 47: Giovani Lo Celso
Referee José María Sánchez Martínez
Alberto Moleiro (min. 53), Marc Roca (min. 56), Cillessen (min. 61), Sergi Altimira (min. 63), Enzo Loiodice (min. 69), Benito Ramírez (min. 85)
Las Palmas is a soccer team that plays with great anxiety. Product, without a doubt, of a career that speaks for itself: 20 games without winning (six in this League). Moleiro’s goal after nine minutes did have a liberating effect for the Canaries. A good offensive action by Viti and a huge mistake by the Betis defense came together for local joy. The way in which the Andalusian team faced the clash was not normal, either, too relaxed and offering all kinds of facilities. And Manuel Pellegrini refreshed the eleven after the defeat against Mallorca. But his team was a toy in the hands of Las Palmas for a rather weak half hour.
Little by little, the air began to escape from the Canary Islands team, which played with a completely renewed defense due to the injury of its four starting players. Lo Celso emerged, as always, so that Betis began to take control of the game. The Andalusian team improved a lot in the final stretch of the first act against an opponent that offered many concessions in defense, especially when the ball was released. Assane Diao (starter due to Vitor Roque’s injury) missed a very clear goal, Álex Muñoz saved a ball under the sticks from Abde, Roca finished without force inside the area and Fornals still shot wide with everything in his favor. The match had turned in favor of Betis. Sandro was injured and a minute later the Andalusian team tied in a great combination between Diao and Lo Celso. The Argentine is true life insurance for his people.
Betis started badly in the second half. He lacked the character to attack an opponent who has terrible deficiencies in defense. He gave the impression that the green and white team waited for the goal to fall like ripe fruit and made the mistake of not pressing. Las Palmas, with skill, weathered the storm against a Betis team that did have a great chance with a shot against Bakambu’s post. The rest was a will and I can’t, an attempt to assault the Canary Islands area without clarity or talent. And even more so when Pellegrini took Lo Celso off the field in the 82nd minute. Losada came on, who contributed nothing. Las Palmas remains bottom, but at least they breathed with the point. Betis must reflect. His match was disappointing. “We have repeated the problem of other parties. We arrive and we don’t score. I still thought that they scored the second goal against us in the last play of the game, like the day against Mallorca. We have to improve,” said Manuel Pellegrini, the coach of the green and white team. “It is always good to score as a visitor, but we are not satisfied,” he concluded.
