Real Betis came up against a great Antonio Sivera on Sunday, who saved a point for Deportivo Alavés in the final stretch of a match corresponding to the second round of LaLiga EA Sports that ended in a goalless draw and with the home team down to ten players, after Aleksandar Sedlar was sent off.
Betis and Albiazul are still without their first win and Glorioso got their first point of the season after a good first half, but ended up defending the result against a Betis team that was committed in the final stages, which improved noticeably with the entry of Abde and Chimy Ávila in the second half.
Luis García Plaza’s men came out onto the Mendizorroza pitch with more spark, playing a more vertical game and using high pressure that allowed them to recover balls close to Rui Silva’s domain.
On the other hand, the Andalusian team was well positioned in defence to prevent Alavés from attacking. In fact, the first clearest chance fell to Juanmi in the 11th minute, with a shot that culminated a very quick play that caught the back of the Vitorian defence and could have moved the scoreboard.
Betis tried hard to get to the right flank, which they managed to get to on several occasions, but Alavés did not let up on their approach.
Carlos Vicente scored the first goal in the 18th minute but it was not included on the scoreboard due to offside by Kike García, who tried to finish off a ball in an illegal position that later ended up at the feet of the winger from Zaragoza.
The Andalusians tried to slow down a match that was going at the pace of the home team despite the fact that the ball belonged to the visitors.
Youssouf Sabaly was one of the most active players in Manuel Pellegrini’s team, with several crosses into the area and attacks to the byline. Together with Fekir, he forced the well-organised home defence to take extreme precautions, which did not break down despite the insistence of the Betis team.
After the break, the pace dropped noticeably, which favoured Betis, who had more time to think and choose the best options.
Alavés came close to changing the result as they closed the gap on Diego Llorente on the touchline after a clash with Nahuel Tenaglia. It was one of the few chances in the first quarter of an hour in a slower second half, but with an open game.
Both teams lost critical balls and the counterattack in both directions could have tipped the balance.
The entrance of Abde and Chimy Ávila lit the offensive fuse of a Betis that began to pose more danger to Antonio Sivera’s goal, who responded successfully when it was his turn.
Carlos Vicente, the best of the Basques, tried whenever he could, but he was unable to connect with the most advanced men on his team.
Nabil Fekir had the chance to score the goal of the match in the final stretch, but the French-Algerian wasted no time in his effort near the home team’s right post.
Betis came out swinging in the final minutes when they found themselves with one more man following Sedlar’s expulsion, but Antonio Sivera appeared again to snatch the first point for his team.
– Technical Data Sheet:
0 – Alaves: Sivera; Tenaglia, Sedlar, Abqar, Manu Sanchez; Blanco, Guevara (Protesoni, min.77); Conechny (Romero, min.61), Stoichkov (Carlos Martin, min.61), Carlos Vicente (Diarra, min.88); and Kike (Guridi, min.77).
0 – Betis: Rui Silva; Sabaly, Bartra, Llorente, Ricardo (Perraud, min.46); Marc Roca, William Carvalho, Fekir, Fornals (Rodri, min.76), Juanmi (Abde, min.63) and Aitor Ruibal (Chimy Ávila, min.63).
Referee: Busquets Ferrer (Colegio Balear). Sent off home player Sedlar with a direct red card (min.87). He also gave yellow cards to home players Sedlar (min.4) and visitors Juanmi (min.27), Perraud (min.64), Roca (min.77) and Chimy (min.89).
Incidents: Match corresponding to the second day of LaLiga EA Sports played at the Mendizorroza stadium in Vitoria before 16,623 spectators. Before the match, tribute was paid to Raquel Gil and Jimena Vicario, players of the Gloriosas, who were proclaimed European under-19 champions with the Spanish national football team.
The figure of Fermín Rodríguez, a worker of Alavés, who died at the end of last season, was also remembered; and a minute of silence was observed in honour of all the Alavés fans who died during the past season.
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