A great match without a goal between Betis and Athletic | Sports

Great game at the Benito Villamarín. Betis and Athletic neutralized each other in an intense, vibrant game played at great speed. A whole party between two candidates for the Champions League that was somewhat marred by two aspects. The first, the absence of the goal, the supreme objective of this sport. Betis looked for him more, who found a great Unai Simón, who made up to five worthwhile saves, especially in the second half, where the Andalusian team was closer to scoring. Athletic, vigorous, lacked a fang. He added many dangerous arrivals to the Betis area, but did not shoot once between the three sticks of the goal defended by Rui Silva.

The second aspect that was left over from such a brilliant clash was the red card in the 96th minute for Luiz Felipe. The Betic center-back, who played a superb game, entered Muniain too harshly and Hernández Hernández sent him off. The final incident between the two benches was superfluous, with the Betic central defender facing Ernesto Valverde, coach of the Basque team. The Andalusian team is the one that has seen the most red cards throughout the championship.

It was a sad end to this vibrant game, where an 18-year-old youngster, the center-back Félix, made his debut for Betis, Unai Simón made five saves and Joaquín returned to play a league game at 41 years and 161 days (he has 606). , and became the oldest player in the history of the First Division according to the data offered by the analyst Pedro Martín. The fight for the Champions League is still open for both teams with this goalless draw.

There was no truce in a game played to the limit between Betis and Athletic. Welcome to LaLiga if all the matches have half the intensity and electricity of the duel held at the festive Benito Villamarín. Without a moment’s pause, Betis paid homage to their world champions, Guido and Pezzella, and prepared to face the demanding lawsuit that Athletic presented to them. An aggressive team, with two bullets on the wings that respond to the name of the Williams brothers, and with a daring proposal, based on high pressure when Betis kicks off the ball.

Pellegrini’s men were surprised by the initial thrust of the Basque team. It was difficult for the Betic team to get the ball out from behind as is usual. Neither Guardado nor William Carvalho came into play and Betis suffered. It was through a steal by Luiz Henrique that the Andalusian team was able to wake up before the Basque dominance. The Brazilian, who this week lost his father, shot with everything in his favor, but Unai Simón stopped his shot well. The occasion awakened Betis, which at times offered that vertical and delicious football that kills its rivals. The béticos approaches increased, but they barely materialized on clear occasions.

It is not very well known why, neither Canales nor Fekir had just broken up, with Borja turned into an island on top. Athletic decently went through these moments of local dominance and rebuilt itself thanks to the formidable pressure, which ended up causing Betis’ delivery failures. At Athletic everything goes at a very high speed. It was Luiz Felipe, a central defender along with debutant Félix, who stopped the momentum of this Athletic with so much spark. His court in an almost fatal ball from Iñaki Williams was providential for Andalusian interests.

Betis was better in the second half. He found a vein in Luiz Henrique, powerful and fast, a nightmare for Yuri, who suffered a lot against the Brazilian, who had two clear options very well resolved by Unai Simón. Only Betis reached the rival area with danger, but the Basque goalkeeper closed it again in a distant free kick by Willian José. Athletic, who also arrived, missed the last pass.

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