Real Betis marked their return to the Champions League after 21 years with a 3-2 victory over Porto at La Cartuja, surviving a Portuguese comeback before Isco sealed a charged and memorable European night from the penalty spot.
In front of 67,117 supporters, Manuel Pellegrini’s side gave their long wait for Champions League football the occasion it demanded. Betis struck first early in the second half through Abde, only for Porto to turn the match around through Gabri Veiga and Samu Aghehowa.
The visitors’ response threatened to spoil the homecoming, but Betis found another surge. Cucho Hernández restored parity, keeping the Andalusians alive in a contest that had swung sharply after the interval.
The decisive moment arrived in the 84th minute. Isco converted a penalty to complete the turnaround and send La Cartuja into celebration, with the match carrying both emotion and controversy before the final whistle.
For Betis, it was more than three points on a European evening. Two decades after their previous Champions League appearance, they opened this new chapter with a win over Porto that their supporters will remember for years.
