A devastating collision between Bartra and Llorente turned the tide for Betis as they squandered a golden opportunity to reach the UEFA Europa League semifinals for the first time in their history. Holding a 1-1 draw from the first leg in Portugal, the green-and-whites needed only to secure progression at La Cartuja in front of a record-breaking crowd. They stormed into a 2-0 lead before the half-hour mark, but a heavy clash between Bartra and Llorente left the Madrid-born defender knocked out and sparked an unexpected collapse against a resolute Sporting de Braga, who eventually won 4-2.
It will be the Portuguese side who face Freiburg—who eliminated Celta earlier that evening—in one of the two semifinal ties. For Pellegrini’s men, the only consolation now lies in fighting for fifth place in La Liga, though its value as a Champions League qualification route is rapidly diminishing due to German clubs’ strong performances and Spanish teams’ eliminations. A crushing disappointment at the most unexpected moment.
**From 3-0 within reach to 2-1 before halftime**
Sporting de Braga, true to their coach’s philosophy, began the match determined not to be intimidated by the atmosphere and looked to assert themselves in possession. They had early chances around Pau López’s area, but Betis quickly found their rhythm and started creating opportunities. The first came from Antony, whose shot toward the far post was tipped wide by Hornicek. The second was a curled effort from Cucho that grazed the post. The third attempt brought the opening goal.
Fidalgo, ever-present, won the ball back as Grillitsch and Gorby got in each other’s way during Braga’s buildup. He passed to Abde, who sprinted to the byline and pulled the ball back. The ball deflected off a defender and looped up, allowing Antony, completely unmarked, to head home. The tie was suddenly tilting heavily in Betis’ favor, with a stunned opponent struggling to keep possession or even exit their own half after the Brazilian’s goal.
Betis continued to attack down the flanks, with their wingers acting like daggers. In recent times, they haven’t even needed to dominate matches to be dangerous. Counterattacks have become their weapon, and that’s how they built their second goal. Bartra won the ball in midfield, Fornals fed Antony and ran into space, the Brazilian played him through, and Fornals’ cutback was tapped in by Abde—no wonder he’s Betis’ all-time top scorer in European competitions.
The match seemed all but settled just after the half-hour mark. In another lightning counter, Antony sprinted clear through on goal. With a defender breathing down his neck, he opted to check his run and try a dribble rather than shoot, but lost his footing. The ball fell loose in the area, and who else but his partner Abde arrived to slot home. However, the goal was disallowed by VAR for offside against the Sao Paulo native in the buildup.
And from what could have been 3-0, Betis quickly found themselves at 2-1. In a completely innocuous play, Bartra and Diego Llorente collided…
