A late Frederic Kanoute goal was not enough to stop Sevilla from losing a heated derby against their arch-rivals.
Sevilla set out to attack, with Jesus Navas, Diego Capel and Lautaro Acosta all supporting Frederic Kanoute.
The main news for Real Betis, meanwhile, was the return of Ruben Oliveira, who was supported by Sergio Garcia, once his team-mate at Real Zaragoza.
First Half
The atmosphere in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjaun was intense, and the opening minutes on the pitch were no different, with both sides flying into tackles and bombing forward. It only took seven minutes for the first booking of the match, as Mark Gonzalez went lunging in on Mosquera. The frantic nature of the match was emphasized by a collision between Andres Palop and Oliveira, as they both raced out to meet a ball on the edge of the box.
Despite the intent, both sides were struggling with their final ball, as the pressure of the occasion told in the final stages of the pitch. Sevilla thought they had broken the deadlock on 23 minutes, but Romaric's goal was ruled out for offside, after he tapped in a Jesus Navas cross. It was a marginal decision, but the linesman got it just right.
Navas was the brightest player on the pitch, posing a constant threat with his speedy runs on the right. There was rarely anyone on the end of his crosses, however, as both sides failed to manufacture any shots on target. Frederic Kanoute came close with ten seconds left, but he shot over the bar, having worked hard to win it on the edge of the box.
With five minutes to go, Betis had their best chance of the match, when Emana found Oliveira on the edge of the box, but the Brazilian could only volley into the stands from a tight angle. That was the last major chance of the half, as both sides went into the break level.
Second Half
Sevilla were fired up for the second half, and it only took them a minute to create a chance, when Capel headed a Jesus Navas cross just over the bar. Capel then turned provider for Acosta, but his diving header was well saved by Ricardo at his near post.
Sensing the need for a change, Paco Chaparro replaced Mark Gonzalez with Damia. A few minutes later, Sergio Garcia nearly opened the scoring when he shot from just outside the box, but Palop dived to his right and saved at full stretch. Manolo Jimenez then made his first change, bringing Adriano on for Capel.
The home side were dominating, but Betis certainly had their moments. On the hour, Sergio Garcia cut inside the box and set Oliveira up, but the Brazilian uncharacteristically mis-kicked the ball. Jimenez then made a further change, introducing Renato for Acosta.
With twenty minutes left, the match suddenly sprung to life with a truly dramatic turn of events. First, Aldo Duscher was sent off after his picking up his second yellow, following a two-footed challenge. It only took Betis a few seconds to make the advantage count, as Sergio Garcia scored with a superb first time volley, after Vega had launched a long free-kick towards him, more in hope than expectation. It was a bitter blow for Sevilla, who now had to chase the game with only ten men.
Jimenez then threw his dice for the final team, throwing Maresca on for Romaric. Emana had the next chance, however, when his vicious left foot shot from an angle was saved by Palop at his near post. Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, was providing a constant threat from the left flank, as Sevilla struggled to hold possession.
Sevilla were running out of time, and their misery was compounded with seven minutes left, when Ruben Oliveira marked his return to the Betis team with a well taken goal. The impressive Damia played him through, and the Brazilian cooly slotted under Palop to seal the match.
Olivieira was soon withdrawn for Juanma, as much to waste time as to relieve the striker, who had gone down under a fierce challenge. In the first minute of stoppage time, however, Kanoute scored a trademark goal to send shivers through the Betis camp. Fernando Navarra put in an excellent cross from the left, and Kanoute rose to head past Ricardo. Paco Chaparro then sought to waste more valuable time by replacing Nelson with David Odonkor.
Despite Kanoute's late heroics, there was simply no time left for Sevilla to equalize, as Betis claimed a famous derby win, with Manuel Ruiz de Lopera's deadline day purchase of Ricardo Oliveira perhaps proving the difference between the sides. Manolo Jimenez, meanwhile, will be wondering whether he will still be on the bench next weekend.
Sevilla 1-2 Real Betis
Kanoute 90 Sergio Garcia 69
Oliveira 83
Sevilla: Palop - Mosquera, Prieto, Escude, Navarro - Jesus Navas, Duscher, Romaric (Maresca 74), Diego Capel (Adriano 60) - Acosta (Renato 65), Kanoute
Real Betis: Ricardo - Nelson (Odonkor 90), Melli, Juanito, Vega - Arzu, Aurelio, Emana, Mark Gonzalez (Damia) - Sergio Garcia, Oliveira (Juanma 88)
Yellow Cards: Mark Gonzalez 7, Arzu 27, Oliveira 31, Duscher 35, Navarro 46, Nelson 55, Damia 74, Escude 85
Red Cards: Duscher 68
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