A late Borja Iglesias penalty earned Real Betis a 2-1 comeback victory against Cádiz and extended the Euro-chasing ‘Green and Whites’ unbeaten run to five in all competitions.
With the chance to ease their relegation troubles, and to potentially win three consecutive La Liga home games for the first time this century, Cádiz set out on the front foot and Oussama Idrissi almost gave the ‘Pirates’ a dream start with a fierce volley in the opening seconds that was cleared by the Real Betis defence. However, Betis had fond recent memories in Cádiz, winning their last two at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla, and the ‘Green and Whites’ inevitably edged back into the contest and thought they struck first when Sergio Canales’ deflected shot trickled over the line only to be ruled out after a VAR review for an offside in the build-up. Ultimately, after early warning shots from both sides, a cagey end to the first period ensued with both sides tightening up in defence before HT.
In the second half, Betis soon showed the quality that has helped them to maintain a push for a third-place finish in La Liga this season. The visitors went more direct in a bid to breakdown a Cádiz defence that had shipped just two goals in their last five, as Andrés Guardado thumped a dipping effort from 25-yards that struck the crossbar.
But the ‘Pirates’ were not fazed by the early pressure and Iván Alejo took full advantage of a mix up in the Betis defence, as he pounced on a loose back pass and volleyed into the net to break his barren spell of eight matches without a goal. Betis appeared shackled from registering just one shot on target in their last away match and the visitors struggled to make inroads, while Cádiz looked more threatening as Álvaro Negredo’s header was cleared off the line.
Inevitably, Betis persisted and Cristian Tello curled a pinpoint, curling shot into the bottom corner with ten minutes remaining before Borja Iglesias earned a late penalty following another VAR review. Iglesias confidently stepped up and fired the spot-kick just past the outstretched Jeremías Ledesma to complete an impressive late comeback, and despite a nervy six minutes of added time, secured all three points.
After taking the lead, Sergio González’s relegation-threatened Cádiz will be bitterly disappointed they couldn’t hold on for at least a point as their five-match unbeaten home run comes to a crashing halt. For Real Betis, their hopes of a top three finish have strengthened as they continue to find joy over Cádiz, remaining unbeaten in eight against the ‘Pirates’.
