Athletic Club secured a dramatic 2–1 victory over Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín in one of the most chaotic matches of the La Liga weekend.
The first half was cagey, marked only by a late yellow card to Beñat Prados before the break. The deadlock was broken on the hour mark when Marc Bartra, under pressure, turned the ball into his own net. Moments later, Ernesto Valverde shuffled his pack, introducing Mikel Vesga into midfield.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe visitors doubled their advantage in the 85th minute of the second half when Aitor Paredes scored to make it 2–0. Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini responded with a flurry of substitutions, including Cedric Bakambu.
As tensions rose, Dani Vivian picked up a booking, followed by more disciplinary chaos in stoppage time. Bakambu struck in the 97th minute, latching onto Junior Firpo’s pass to pull one back for Betis.
But in the closing minutes, Maroam Sannadi was booked for yellow, Álex Padilla saw red in the 100th minute, and both Alex Berenguer and Firpo were shown yellows deep into stoppage time.
Despite the late pressure and flurry of cards, Athletic held firm to claim all three points. The result leaves them climbing the early La Liga standings, while Betis are left frustrated after a night that combined defensive lapses with disciplinary meltdowns.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Pejuola Ransome
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