The EA Sports League will not be at its best, but matches like the one played this Saturday at the Benito Villamarín are an ode to football and an invitation for fans to return to the stadiums. Betis remains undefeated this season in Heliópolis after taming the leader in a thrilling match, in which the final tie equally rewarded two teams that deserved everything. Real Madrid was able to extend its tyranny with a Bellingham, again a scorer, touched by a wand and a Messianic Rodrygo, but they ran into a magnificent Betis and an outstanding Isco.
Two rivals were dueling who have had to reinvent themselves several times this season due to the plague of injuries that plagues both. The last one, Betis, who this week lost Guido Rodríguez, their standard bearer in the center of the field. The visit of Madrid was a real test for Pellegrini's team and the start of the game was not at all encouraging for the locals.
The leader began acting as such, with undeniable control of the ball and the game. Although it was Marc Roca, in an arrival from the second line, who started the chances counter by testing Lunin, chosen against the odds by Ancelotti, Madrid's presence in Betic territory was overwhelming. It was impossible to define the white scheme, with Bellingham somewhat leaning to the left but with total freedom of movement, Modric practically acting as a second striker and a colossal Rodrygo. What a player the Brazilian is, freed from tactical ties without Vinícius, who signed the first twenty minutes of film on the left wing.
Ruibal, one of those footballers who prefers to look forward rather than back, had to dance with the ugliest, constantly asking his teammates for help to wake up from the nightmare he was living. Every time Rodrygo faced, Rodrygo dribbled and Villamarín became tense. It was a spectacle to see the ease of the Brazilian star in overcoming rivals and generating danger. In one of those actions, Brahim ended up putting the ball in the net but the play was canceled due to a tight offside by Rodrygo himself.
Isco didn't appear too much, although whenever he did he contributed things, and Betis noticed it. But Pellegrini seemed to detect the problem with his team and managed to disconnect Rodrygo from the game, something that his team appreciated, as it began to grow and forced Madrid to fall behind a bit. Ayoze missed a very clear chance, to which Lunin reacted more than well. The match was intense, happy, and with few interruptions thanks to Soto Grado's good judgment in not marking simple contacts as fouls. Willian José gave another scare to Madrid, who before half-time shook off the green and white dominance and stepped into the rival area again. Modric's header went wide.
If the start of the duel had been uninspiring for Betis, the second half was downright terrifying. Brahim and Bellingham signed one of those walls of clinical precision and the Englishman opened the scoring with that amazing ease in seeing the goal that he has been showing since the beginning of the championship. There is no one like him at the moment, a decisive footballer if there ever was one.
The goal not only gave Madrid wings, it also reconnected Rodrygo to the game and Betis relived their initial sufferings. Like Ruibal, reprimanded after stopping the Brazilian as best he could. But, this time, the brave green-and-white winger woke up alone from the nightmare, hooking a sharp shot from the edge of the area to seal the tie with a work of art.
With the tie, the match ended up going crazy, exciting for the fans, heart-stopping for those involved. Isco took charge of Betis and even came close to scoring the second with a header in added time that hit the post. Joselu responded seconds later by crossing too much. Meanwhile, Rodrygo monopolized two or even three defenders to stop him. There was no respite and the curtain did not come down until Lunin stretched one last time against Riyadh's header in the 96th minute. Matches like this should never end.
1 - Real Betis: Rui Silva; Aitor Ruibal, Pezzella, Chadi Riad, Abner; Altimira (Guardado, m.70), Marc Roca, Ayoze (Luiz Henrique, m.82), Isco, Az Abde (Assane Diao, m.61); and Willian José.
1 - Real Madrid: Lunin; Lucas Vázquez (Nacho, m.83), Rüdiger, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos (Nico Paz, m.83), Fede Valverde, Modric (Ceballos, m.70), Bellingham; Brahim (Joselu, m.79) and Rodrygo.
Goles: 0-1, M.53: Bellingham. 1-1, M.66: Aitor Ruibal.
Referee: César Soto Grado (Riojano Committee). He admonished the locals Aitor Ruibal (m.78) and Ayoze (m.82) and the visitor Ceballos (m.96).
Incidents: Match of the sixteenth day of LaLiga EA Sports played at the Benito Villamarín stadium in front of 52,756 spectators. The Betis players took to the field with t-shirts of encouragement and support for their teammate Guido Rodríguez, seriously injured in training last Thursday. At half-time, fans threw stuffed animals from the stands after a countdown. Everything collected will be distributed among different associations so that they reach the children.
