Real Betis opened their La Liga campaign coming from one goal down to score in the 87th minute to secure a 1-1 home draw with Villarreal.
Betis deserved their point after having 65% of possession, as well as 22 shots, throughout the match. Ruben Castro scored late for the home side after a good save by Alphonse Areola from a Christiano Piccini strike.
Roberto Soldado announced his re-arrival in La Liga with a goal in the first half, controlling a Jaume Costa cross before sliding the ball past Antonia Adan. Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano saw red in injury time for an unnecessary push on Xavi Torres.
Real Betis
Antonia Adan – 4: An incredibly inconsistent performance from the Betis gloveman. Made a smart stop to deny Soldado in the first half but errors crept into his game in the second. Lucky not to concede more.
Cristiano Piccini – 7.5: Standout player for Betis. Dominant going forward, giving Costa a torrid time. Worked well in conjunction with Cejudo to subdue Castillejo.
German Pezzella – 5: In conjunction with Bruno dealt with the Villarreal threat efficiently.
Bruno Gonzalez – 5.5: Played Leo Baptistao out of the game. Picked up a yellow card for dragging down Soldado on the halfway line.
Juan Manuel Vargas – 6: Match long battle with Nahuel in which he came out a respectable second. Made a clearance off the line following an Adan error to deny Bakambu.
Alvaro Cejudo – 5.5: Linked up well with Piccini but was outshone going forward by his left full back. Nullified the threat of Castillejo well. Yellow card for a poorly timed tackle on Pina. Subbed off on 65 minutes.
Xavi Torres – 6.5: Distributed the ball well. Unquestionably offside during the goal, involved in the tussle that saw Bruno sent off.
Alfred N’Diaye – 6.5: Muscular performance in the middle of the park from the Senegalese international. Distributed the ball adequately and was strong in the tackle. Subbed off on 75 minutes.
Francisco Portillo – 5.5: Struggled to produce any quality. Searching for the ball in the middle of the park left Vargas vulnerable to the threat of Nahuel.
Jorge Molina – 4: Completely overshadowed by his forward partner. Offered little of note for his team other than a body to be watched by the Villarreal defence. Subbed off on 80 minutes.
Ruben Castro – 7.5: Betis’ most dangerous player. Scored the goal to bring them level and forced Areola into several fine stops.
Substitutes
Dani Ceballos – 6: Found his way quickly into the pace of the game. Showed intelligent distribution.
Fabian Ruiz – 4: Couldn’t impose himself in the same way as N’Diaye.
Vincenzo Rennella – N/A: Ten minutes on the pitch touching the ball twice.
Villarreal
Alphonse Areola – 5.5: Some solid saves to deny Betis throughout the second half. Could have given a penalty away in the first after bursting through N’Diaye.
Jaume Costa – 5: Will receive the assist for the goal but had a tough night dealing with Piccini. Beaten to the ball more often than not and unable to stop the supply.
Victor Ruiz – 6: Commanded the defence well. Stood up when needed but overshadowed by his defensive partner.
Eric Bailly – 6.5: Always seemed to be in the correct area to head the ball away. Dealt well with crosses coming into the box and controlled the movement of Molina.
Mario Gaspar – 5.5: Unspectacular game. Worked well with Nahuel down the right flank but rarely called into defensive action due to Betis pushing most of their attacks down the opposite wing.
Samu Castillejo – 4.5: Ineffective going forward and offered little support defensively. Picked up a yellow card and subbed off on 76 minutes.
Bruno Soriano – 5.5: Typical display from the Villarreal captain, solid but unspectacular. Sent off in injury time for a push on Xavi Torres.
Tomas Pina – 6: Played his passes well and dictated the Villarreal tempo.
Matias Nahuel – 7.5: Villarreal’s most effective player going forward. Troubled Vargas and made the most of his time on the ball. Put an array of dangerous balls into the box but needs to improve his passing accuracy.
Leo Baptistao – 4: Unable to impose himself on this game. Misplaced passes and poor decision-making in the final third saw him subbed on the hour mark.
Roberto Soldado – 7: Soldado’s return to La Liga saw him resume where he left off. Scored Villarreal’s only goal and was a threat to the Betis defence throughout. Had a first half-volley saved by Adan. Subbed off on 65 minutes
Substitutes:
Cedric Bakambu – 6: Looked lively after coming on. Could have scored with his first and second attacks.
Samuel Garcia – 5.5: Hit the post late on after Bakambu beat the onrushing Adan. Saw little of the ball after that.
Manu Trigueros – 5: Brought on to slow the pace of the game.
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