Betis 7-Minute Thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb | Match Report

Manuel Pellegrini arrived in Zagreb aware of what his Betis was at stake. A victory, the fourth in the Europa League plus two draws, would leave them with 14 points and virtually qualified. And Betis took the field to win. It took a while for Croatia to open the can, but in seven minutes they put the game away with an own goal from Sergi Domínguez – who already scored an own goal against Celta -, one from Riquelme and another from Antony, after a Croatian action more typical of cadets.

The game started cold. The weather and the half-empty Maksimir stadium, since one of its stands cannot be used due to the consequences left on its structure by an earthquake in 2020, did not help either. Betis, however, came out determined to command, with Abde and Antony on the wings and with Bakambu waiting for a cross. However, the first two clear chances came with shots from outside the Altimira area. The first, after touching a defender, forced Filipovic to take the ball with a foreshortening, and the second allowed the Croatian goalkeeper to show off. The Green and Whites insisted and a corner taken by Antony was extended by Llorente to the far post, where Valentín Gómez and Riquelme were bothered just enough not to finish any of them with everything in their favor to score the first goal.

Betis came and came, accumulating chances, but without finding the prize of the goal. But, football things, he opened the scoring thanks to fortune. Riquelme reached the baseline and put the ball into the area, but it touched defender Sergi Domínguez just enough for Filipovic to miss it. Prize for insistence for the green and white, who did not change the script and in another combinative play, a perfect triangulation allowed Riquelme to stand alone against the Croatian goal and make the score 0-2 with a quality shot. In the middle of the green-and-white and Croatian grotesque festival, the third arrived. a goal that will go around the world due to the error between the goalkeeper and the centre-back, who left the ball open to Antony so that he could thank the gift and secure the Betic victory in just seven minutes, with 60 minutes left to play.

Dinamo made a triple change at half-time looking for a reaction that did not come. He asked for a penalty when Varela, one of those who had joined, fell, but the best chance was Abde, who crashed a shot against the crossbar after a central defender deflected it just enough. The green and white, with the ball, let the minutes pass knowing that victory was in their pocket while the Croats appealed to their pride to make up for a result that was as resounding as it was fair.

Kulenovic had his chance to score the honor, but Álvaro Valles excelled to vindicate himself. He was unable to do anything shortly after in a header from Galesic coming off a corner. In the midst of a rush, Betis had the fourth, but Bakambu’s shot hit the crossbar and bounced off the same line. A bit that hurts for not keeping a clean sheet, but it did not prevent the clear victory of the green and white team and the virtual classification achieved.