Djibril Sow was the first to try his luck after a dull and stoppage-strewn opening half-hour, as the Swiss international’s instinctive shot towards goal flashed inches over the top. Overall, the first half will not go down as a memorable one in this derby’s almost century-old lore.
And despite Sevilla accounting for nearly two-thirds of the possession before half-time, it was Betis who landed the first shot on target a whole 37 minutes in, when Abde Ezzalzouli rushed through on goal and aimed a shot at the near post, only for the presence of José Angel Carmona to slow him up, allowing Odysseas Vlachodimos to palm the ball wide.
Although Sevilla started the second half on top, a quick break downfield after Peque Fernandez’s shot straight at Alvaro Valles proved vital towards giving Betis the lead.
Batista Mendy intercepted the ball, but a giveaway to Pablo Fornals allowed the Verdiblancos’ chief playmaker time and space to run towards the edge of the box and fire low past Vlachodimos for his third goal of the season and his first since September 19th.
Sevilla set about levelling as soon as possible, but after the offside Akor Adams forced a save straight from the Sevilla bench, Betis got a devastating second goal.
A whipped Fornals free kick from the right flank saw Valentin Gomez flick the ball to the left side of the box to Sergi Altimira, who took a single touch and went for sheer power to find the roof of the Sevilla net.
Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere nosedived across most of the ground, and the first signs of debris flying onto the pitch perfectly summarised the Sevilla fans’ sentiments.
Betis saw out the remaining minutes with all due professionalism – something that couldn’t be said for Isaac Romero, who received a straight red card for cynically chopping down Gómez after losing the ball to the Betis man.
The game also ended on a rather unsavoury note, with fan discontent boiling over enough to warrant a 15-minute halt to proceedings. The remainder of the match was a formality though, with Betis holding out to secure local bragging rights.
On top of that, Betis have also significantly boosted their hopes of a sixth successive top-seven finish, having now only lost one of their last 14 away league games (W6, D7).
Meanwhile, any repercussions after the Sevilla fans’ misbehaviour will play second fiddle to the team’s emotions, as Sevilla are still without a set of successive home league wins since October 2024, and they could now end the day as little as four points off the bottom three.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Pablo Fornals (Real Betis)