Betis and Real Madrid drew 0-0 in Benito Villamarín, a result that stops a dominating white team, but lacking punch, in their battle to get closer to the leader, Barcelona, of which they are now nine points behind , after an electric duel and in which the Sevillian team faced him, with courage and ambition, in their fight for the ‘Champions’.
After a first half full of rhythm, intensity and alternatives, in which the only goal was missing when Karim Benzema’s goal from a free kick was canceled in the 12th minute for deflecting with Rüdiger’s arm, at the insistence of the VAR and after seeing from the action of the referee on the screen at the foot of the pitch, the battle intensified in the second half, with Madrid stepping more into the local area, but with little finishing and little goal, as in their last games
Two teams with a very offensive seal were measured. Betis, after three consecutive victories, to continue in the battle for the ‘Champions’ despite their losses, with two very notable due to an injury to their creators, Sergio Canales and Frenchman Nabil Fekir, and Real Madrid, also with absences and doubts, to continue the battle for leadership after the 1-1 defeat in the derby against Atlético in the league and the 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the cup semi-final against Barcelona.
Italian Carlo Ancelotti revamped an eleven that seemed to give him more attacking power, with Lucas Vázquez on the right and Frenchman Eduardo Camavinga on the left, the strength of the French half Tchouaméni and the versatility of Brazilian Rodrygo Goes, to the detriment of Carvajal, Nacho and the suspended Luka Modric.
Betis also looked for alternatives with five changes. Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, formerly of Real Madrid, covered Fekir’s fundamental loss with Rodri and Ayoze as midfielder or left winger, with Borja Iglesias up front and Ruibal for Senegal’s Sabaly, in addition to rewarding left-back Miranda with the title after his good game in Elche and to win back his ‘anchor’, the Argentinian Guido Rodríguez, after a suspension.
The clash started with a lot of rhythm, with intensity, increased pressure and competitive tension in both teams, although with a little more control of the game by the madridistas, with Camavinga and Vinicius on the left very active, as was another Brazilian, Rodrygo. with a lot of mobility, but without success for an attacking Real Madrid.
After a long kick from Ayoze, focused and cleared by Courtois, the first clear chance after 12 minutes came in a foul on Rodrygo on the edge of the area which Benzema threw into the back of the net after touching Rüdiger, although the goal was disallowed at the request of the VAR, and after consultation with Soto Grado the screen at the foot of the field, for the shot of the French attacker in the hand of the German.
In any case, Betis never lost face in the match and put up a tough fight against Real Madrid in an intense and quality first half. Naturally, he lacked meridian-scoring chances, except for a shot from far off the incombustible Uruguayan Fede Valverde on the half hour mark that narrowly missed.
At the restart, the script barely changed, with two ambitious teams chasing a goal, a prize that Betis alternately failed to find, with Ruibal’s long shot clearing Courtois, nor Madrid with Benzema’s shot. pass behind the electric Vinicius, which ricocheted off Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
The blows continued, with a shot from Borja Iglesias, after fine control in the penalty area, in which the Belgian goalkeeper, providentially, saved the goal in the 53rd minute, and ‘Pajarito’ Valverde answered with a kick from distance that brought Bravo the next minute in trouble.
Around the hour of play, they also chewed on the goal, which resisted in both areas, Borja Iglesias, a whirlwind near the Merengue area, but narrowly missed a cross from Ruibal’s right, and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, who was alone in the area, he finished a cross from Valverde high after a good gallop from the Uruguayan down the right wing.
From there, and with Ancelotti’s substitutions – Nacho replaced Camavinga and the ex-Bético Dani Ceballos for a grizzled Tchouameni – it was Real Madrid who pushed the most in search of goal, with occasions fifteen minutes from the end Ceballos himself, who shot wide, and Vinicius, whose effort Bravo saved, and another later one in which he had the help of Luiz Felipe.
The final stretch was a run-of-the-mill game, with an electric play, but neither team found the final action to unbalance the score, sharing the points after a lively, ambitious game and chasing the three points. Only missing the mark in one area and the other.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
