Betis is heading for a historic comeback to leave Manchester United behind, whom they looked in the eye at Old Trafford, but before whom they suffered a punishment that gives the English club a three-goal lead (4-1). facing the return in Heliopolis next Thursday.
4
De Gea, Diogo Dalot (Wan-Bissaka, min. 45), Lisandro Martínez, Varane, Shaw (Tyrell Malacia, min. 65), Bruno Fernandes, Rashford (Jadon Sancho, min. 64), Casemiro, Antony (Pellistri, min. 81), Fred (McTominay, min. 81) and Wouter Weghorst
1
Bravo, Abner, Luiz Felipe, Sabaly, Pezzella, Guido Rodríguez (Guardado, min. 65), William Carvalho, Joaquín (Canales, min. 58), Juanmi (Willian José, min. 80), Luiz Henrique and Ayoze Pérez (Borja Churches, min.65)
goals 1-0 min. 5: Rashford. 1-1 min. 32: Ayoze Perez. 2-1 min. 51: Anthony. 3-1 min. 57: Bruno Fernandez. 4-1 min. 82: Wouter Weghorst.
Referee daniel siebert
yellow cards Wouter Weghorst (min. 55) and Bruno Fernandes (min. 68)
Soccer in the Islands harbors peculiarities that have to do with respect for the protagonists and the feeling that for the ship to sail everyone must row. Only from that consideration, and the obvious assessment that the coach is trying to build something similar to a team, the ovation that Ten Hag received on his return to Old Trafford after losing 7-0 at Liverpool’s home is explained. If someone at Betis thought that such a disaster could cause their rival party to become nervous or stupefied, reality denied them even before the ball started rolling. And as soon as he did, there was not even half a concession: Manchester, who repeated the same eleven that he lined up in the historic bump last Sunday at Anfield, marked the start. It was a hammer as soon as Betis gave him the footing to counterattack.
It happened that in De Gea’s goal, a reckless transfer of Dalot to the Spanish goalkeeper, who if he did not go out onto the field with his boots changed on his feet it seemed, a fire appeared from which Juanmi and Joaquín almost took advantage. But Betis did not finish the action and United put together a winning counterattack in which Luiz Felipe lacked the forcefulness that Rashford had in front of the goal.
The disadvantage did not flatten Betis, even though Weghorst was close to the second goal. The team detected the problem, almost insoluble, that caused him to concede transitions and worked to avoid them through finesse with the ball. And that’s how he grew up in the party. The tie, after half an hour of play, was the reward for his will, a beautiful goal by Ayoze, who found an unlikely angle to cross a shot to the post’s strain. United no longer controlled the game, perhaps they weren’t very interested in doing so either. But he didn’t have a good time either, especially when he tried to play from behind with De Gea. Determined to start fires, the goalkeeper acted as an arsonist almost at the edge of the break to give Ayoze an option that went to the post.
The blessed miscegenation that transmitted to football the European competition then opened an electrifying duel. Two styles were measured on the green and in the stands (in the end a few ended up slapping), while drops of sleet sifted the stage. The bench with more than 3,000 Betics who made themselves felt in the sonorous immensity of Old Trafford Cathedral sang when United recovered another ball to throw to Antony, who took out his left-footed peephole to place the ball in the net. Almost immediately, before game time, Bruno Fernandes, who had already taken the baton to lead the game, headed a corner kick into the net that found him, without a mark, at the near post.
The hubbub changed sides, Manchester picked up the pace and came to press higher and with more courage. Canales and Borja Iglesias entered the game with Betis in trouble, with roads to the local area cut off. Pellegrini’s team suffered to stabilize on their feet and, in fact, after Weghorst’s goal in the final stretch of the game, they seem knocked out at the expense of a magical night at Villamarín.
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