The Betis was reunited at the end with the victory. It was for a solitary goal, by Bartra , after a corner at the dawn of the second half (1-0), but it was enough for the green-whites to partially regain their best feelings. The Espanyol , meanwhile, again showed its worst faces another end he had left on the road to try to save the category. A goal that can be doomed much sooner than the Blue and Whites would want. At Benito Villamarín , again, only Diego López's inspiration prevented the disaster from being even more bleeding. In attack, Abelardo's men hardly disturbed the goal defended by Joel, almost a luxury spectator until Wu Lei, in the final stretch, I would test him in the clearest opportunity of the parakeets. Salvation is further and further away. And, right now, nothing invites us to think that achieving it is little more than a chimera.

Both rivals came to the matches haunted by different emergencies. Betis, after the dismissal of Rubi , culminating in the early hours of last Monday, wanted to meet again with a victory that has been giving him back again and again since the competition resumed. Espanyol, despite the good feelings signed against Alavés and, above all, against Getafe , needed victory to continue dreaming of a salvation that is becoming increasingly expensive.

Alexis' presence on the Betis bench was quite a handicap for Abelardo when preparing the game. This was confessed by the Blue and Whites' own coach in the previous one. There was no recent precedent to hold onto to know how he was going to face his re-release at the head of the Verdiblanco team. The locals, perhaps spurred in some way by the dismissal of Rubi, controlled the game more and better than an Espanyol terribly in need of ideas in attack, but, unlike the debacle against Levante, well planted in defensive tasks.

Something to which, in addition, in a great way, the worrying, for their own, lack of resolution of the premises as soon as they were planted in the Espanyol area. Something that, to Abelardo's liking, happened on too many occasions over the first 45 minutes when neither of the two contenders managed to find the way to the goal. And, as soon as any player dared to break the tonic slightly, the ball died again and again either in the goalkeeper's hands, either in the legs of the rival behind or, directly, losing himself to the baseline.

The tedious show that was the first part soon gave way to a much more entertaining stage after the break. Betis, finally, found a way to show their superiority on the pitch also on the scoreboard thanks to Bartra's header after a corner. The 1-0 forced Abelardo to move the bench in search of what, clearly, was going to be little less than a miracle.

As much as he gave Raúl de Tomás, Wu Lei and Melendo a blow to revolutionize his attack, his plan was condemned beforehand. In the first place, because he sent a Campuzano to the bench who had been the most outstanding of his team. And, secondly, because it is useless to put all the powder in the lead if there is no way to send them the odd ball. And the elaboration, precisely, is being the great Achilles heel of the Blue and Whites.

In the rear, meanwhile, Diego López was working overtime to try to get his team to reach the final moments alive. Fekir tested him over and over again, to no avail. Meanwhile, on point, there was almost no news of the Blue and Whites. Abelardo's anger with some of his veterans, after he pointed the finger especially at several of his refreshment players after the defeat at home against Levante, was perhaps what led him to put two players on the pitch kids like Nico and Víctor Gómez . Espanyol was condemned to take another step towards the abyss. Something that Wu Lei would demonstrate when, in the final stretch of the game and with almost everything in favor, he ended up allowing Joel to win the game to keep his goal to zero and practically seal the Betis victory.

Espanyol continues downhill. And without brakes. A situation that, with the visit of Real Madrid this Sunday, can culminate, in practice, with the already almost definitive signature of his descent into hell. Now he is eight points from salvation. Eight points that, if everything turns its back, can be eleven at the end of the next day.

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