Real Betis suffered a painful 4-1 Youth League defeat to Feyenoord after taking the lead in their third match of the campaign, with a red card for Iván Corralejo turning the contest before half-time. The Andalusians had shown enough early promise to imagine another strong European afternoon, but Feyenoord’s clinical response left Carlos Geraldo’s side looking for points in the fixtures ahead.
A lead lost before the interval
Both sides began at pace, each willing to attack and expose the spaces left behind. Feyenoord played with the same direct, vertical instinct associated with their senior team, while Betis created an early opportunity through Casti.
It was De Roa who gave Betis the breakthrough. The left-back, who has also featured in Manuel Pellegrini’s thoughts around the first-team set-up, put the visitors in front and briefly gave the green-and-white side control of the occasion.
- De Roa opened the scoring for Betis.
- Faik levelled for Feyenoord after being supplied by Schaken.
- Corralejo was sent off with a straight red card in the 39th minute following a confrontation after the equaliser.
- Faik then struck again before the break to send Feyenoord into half-time ahead.
The dismissal changed the balance of the match. Feyenoord had already begun to look the sharper side in the final third, and their advantage became more pronounced once Betis were reduced to 10 men. Schaken and Zinhagel, both involved with Feyenoord’s senior squad, underlined the quality within a Dutch youth side in strong form.
Feyenoord exploit the extra space
Betis attempted to reshape the match after the restart, introducing Mario Navarro, Collantes and Obeng. Yet playing a man down against a side built to attack quickly made the task increasingly difficult.
Feyenoord managed the second half effectively, finding the room created as Betis pushed forward in search of a route back into the game. Baks added a third goal before Neijenhuis completed the scoring, leaving the Spanish side with little left to rescue.
Betis must rebuild their Youth League campaign
The result gives Betis one win, one draw and one defeat from their opening three Youth League matches. There were periods in which they threatened to add to De Roa’s opener, but Feyenoord’s efficiency proved decisive on a night that swung sharply after Corralejo’s red card.
For Betis, the immediate European task is clear: recover from a defeat that had begun with promise and turn their next Youth League ties into the points needed to keep their campaign moving.
