Sixth hosted fourth in the first blockbuster clash upon La Liga’s return. Both sides played out a stalemate in an intense contest, leaving a good chance for Real Sociedad and Atlético Madrid to leapfrog them in the standings.
REAL BETIS
Rui Silva: 5 – Did not have his goal tested, but did well to rush out and collect on a couple of occasions.
Youssouf Sabaly: 7 – Excellent defensive display, negating Nico Williams on his side.
Luiz Felipe: 7 – A heroic display, that included 11 clearances and four blocks, soured by an unnecessary challenge that led to him being sent off in the final minute of stoppage time. Betis will miss him dearly.
Félix Garreta: 6 – Handled the pressure of his La Liga debut maturely. A good foil to Felipe, and calm on the ball.
Álex Moreno: 5
William Carvalho: 6
Andrés Guardado: 4 – A phenomenal throughball to create a chance for Fekir was the only highlight in a mediocre performance where he was unable to soak up the Athletic press.
Luiz Henrique: 6 – A performance of endeavour, he came closest to scoring for Betis. Put in a handy defensive shift as well, and went off to a huge ovation.
Nabil Fekir: 5
Sergio Canales: 4
Borja Iglesias: 3 – A quiet return to the Betis colours for Borja, who found no joy in the Athletic box.
SUBSTITUTES:
Willian José: 4 – A tame direct free-kick attempt was his only notable contribution.
Joaquín: 5
Juanmi: n/a
Aitor Ruibal: n/a
ATHLETIC CLUB
Unai Simón: 6 – Made five saves, reliably warding off any Betis effort on goal.
Óscar de Marcos: 5
Yeray Álvarez: 6 – A solid performance, cancelling out Borja Iglesias with ease.
Dani Vivian: 6
Yuri Berchiche: 5 – Was caught napping by Luiz Henrique in the first half, being dispossessed well in his own half. Added support to Nico in attack as the game went on, being a good contest for Sabaly.
Dani García: 6 – An assured defensive display at the base of the Athletic midfield.
Mikel Vesga: 5
Iñaki Williams: 3 – A poor performance on the right wing, not proving to be a potent threat to the inexperienced Félix Garreta on his side.
Oihan Sancet: 5 – Athletic’s best offensive player in the first half.
Nico Williams: 4 – Struggled to influence the game on the left wing, being negated brilliantly by Sabaly. Switched to the right after Iñaki was subbed off and found more space, but ultimately unable to make a lasting impact.
Gorka Guruzeta: 3 – Completely ineffective.
SUBSTITUTES:
Iker Muniain: 6 – Brought a much-needed spark to Athletic’s build-up, and was easily their most creative player on the night, despite making only a cameo.
Raúl García: 5 – Offered more than Guruzeta, but a failed recreation of Aduriz’s scissor kick in the dying minutes was his highlight.
Álex Berenguer: n/a
Oier Zarraga: n/a
GSFN | Roddur Mookherjee
