Betis able for Villarreal

Villarreal CF dominated at the beginning of Sunday’s match in which both goalkeepers played an important role.

The first chance of the game fell to Marcelino García’s side with Mario Gaspar’s shot being smothered by Guillermo Sara. A few minutes later it was Sergio Asenjo’s turn to shine, saving his team’s blushes after a poor defensive clearance. Both teams threatened each others’ defences, but it was Betis that took the lead into half time. An Álvaro Vadillo shot deflected off José Antonio Dorado, with the next attempt from Verdú missing the goal, before Nosa made no mistake to open up the scoring.

Both teams came out for the second half full of intent but there was little in the way of chances during the first half hour. The home side squeezed high up the pitch and could have doubled its lead after a good counter-attacking move which Juanfran finished on his left foot, but the goal was ruled offside. Later on Verdú failed to make the most of a one-on-one opportunity thanks to some fine goalkeeping from Asenjo.

Betis looked like a serious prospect and knew what needed to be done against one of the brightest starters to this league campaign. All three points stayed in Seville with Betis recording its second win of the 2013/14 Liga BBVA season, at the expense of Villarreal’s fine run of form. Marcelino’s side is denied that third place spot in the league table for now.