He Betis fell 1-0 at Sparta Prague and, in a bad match, he left pending his classification to the next round of the Europa League for their last home game against Glasgow Rangers.
The Slovak Lukas Haraslín scored for the Czech team 54 minutes into a match in which Betis, with less depth, hierarchy and verticality than in other matches, greatly reduced its performance, especially in a very discreet second half and in which Sparta Prague barely suffered, despite that it generated some chances for the tie.
In a decisive duel for both teams, in the case of the Czech – who faced it as third with 4 points – to speed up their chances of advancing to the round and in that of Betis who came as the leader, with 9, to ensure their classification, the Chilean Manuel Pellegrinifaithful to its rotation policy, revolutionized the green and white eleven with nine changes compared to the last league match. Only two Argentine internationals repeated: center back Pezzella and midfielder Guido Rodríguez.
End to the positive streak
Betis, in a great moment with 13 consecutive undefeated games and three of them in Europe, the first being the 2-1 victory at home against a Sparta that demonstrated its danger on the counterattack, presented great news to the Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Silva, after an injury, and the French Nabil Fekir in his first start more than eight months after his serious knee injury.
The clash, with the Serbian Veljko Birmancevic, the Czech Jan Kuchta and the Slovak Lukas Haraslin as the local offensive trident, began with a live game, with alternatives and opposite styles: that of the possession and quality at the top of the Spanish team against the vertical and fast football, with hardly any elaboration, of the team coached by the Dane Brian Priske, more vulnerable at the back, however, despite its usual backline of three centre-backs.
Neither team gained clear control of the game, although Betis, with Guido and the Mexican Guardado very solid in the middle and the young Assane Diao as a great stiletto from the right wing, he seemed to dominate more and had a little more arrivalbut without success, as in a timid shot by Diao at 10 minutes that was saved by the Dane Peter Vindahl.
In a first half with few opportunities, he had the best Borja Iglesias at 27 minutes. After a pass from the active Assane Diao, he cut down an opponent in the area and his shot was blocked by Vindahl throwing himself at his feet, while the Prague players were only worried, very intermittently, by their wingers Birmancevic and Haraslín, who looked for the goal by just before half an hour, but a very focused shot came out without problems for Rui Silva.
Isco by Fekir
On the resumption, with the entry of Isco Alarcon for Fekir, still far from his best form and who also suffered a blow to the hip, the script changed little at the beginning, although Sparta Prague came out with vigor and tried with incursions from the Ecuadorian side Angelo Preciado On the right, the lane defended by the Brazilian Abner.
Precisely, it was a quick throw-in from the South American that caused the Czechs to lead 1-0 after sending the ball to Kuchtawho controlled well and opened the game on the left so that the Slovakian Haraslín beat Rui Silva with a great tight shot from a corner of the large area at 54 minutes, which changed the setting a lot.
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He Betis broke down at timesin a phase of nervousness caused by the push and collective football and pressure and grit of the Central Europeans, but, forced by the score, they recovered, reacted with Guido Rodríguez in command in the midfield and the greater appearance of Isco, who looked for the 1-1 with a shot at the hour mark that a defender took.
Panda Headbutt
Although Sparta Prague remained firm and frightened from time to time, as in a deflected header from the Finnish Kairinen to Kuchta’s center or in a pass of death from Laci who did not find a finisher, Pellegrini’s team went ahead.
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He had no choice but to avoid having to play the pass on the last day and, therefore, He took risks since he found himself behind on the scoreboard.
However, Betis did not find the prize when they failed to hit a long shot from Guido that was cleared by the Danish goal of the Czech league leader, in a very tight header from Borja Iglesias to Abner’s center and in a Isco’s center shot who, after a defender failed to clear the ball, came out very close to the goal, which could not prevent the defeat against a Sparta Prague team that had grown up in its stadium.
2023-11-30 19:34:31
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