Honours even in Betis-Sevilla 'derbi'
The first Sevilla ‘derbi’ for four seasons ended all square at the Benito Villamarín as Marcelino’s Sevilla claimed a point against Real Betis despite having defender Fabricio Fazio sent off for a foul on Roque Santa Cruz 20 minutes from time.
A sensational Beñat free-kick gave Pepe Mel’s side the lead against the run of play on 25 minutes, but Álvaro Negredo finally got the breakthrough four minutes before half-time when he headed home a Jesus Navas cross to give goalkeeper Casto no chance.
After Fazio’s dismissal Betis had chances to have claimed all three points, Beñat going close with another free-kick and Emir Spahic on hand to block a Ruben Castro effort. However, Marcelino claimed he was unhappy at not having taken all three points from an enthralling encounter.
“We came here to win and are leaving here unhappy,” said the Sevilla boss. “This was maybe our best performance of the season away from home and the team showed a different dynamic.
“In the first half we did what we normally do and tried to go in at the break leading. But it wasn’t easy to get the goal and we had to keep on going. In the second half we had more chances and I am very proud and satisfied at how my players performed. It was a shame we didn’t get the win,” he added.
Betis boss Pepe Mel disagreed with Marcelino’s verdict and claimed their cross-city rivals were more than happy to have left with a point.
“The draw was a fair result because Sevilla had the first half and we had the second,” declared Mel. “With and without numerical superiority we had plenty of chances, but we are satisfied as we played against a team with a lot of internationals. We are happy and do you know why? Because Sevilla have gone away happy and that says a lot about us.”
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