Real Betis marked their return to Champions League football in Seville with a 3-2 victory over Porto, a night captain Isco described as “incredible” after more than two decades without a home occasion of this scale in Europe’s leading competition.
Key takeaways
- Betis defeated Porto 3-2 at La Cartuja in the second round of Champions League fixtures.
- Isco said the supporters had waited 21 years for a Champions League night like this one.
- The Betis captain praised the squad’s work and said the home crowd deserved the result.
- He warned that the side still has areas to improve and cannot take any position for granted.
- Isco said he intends to keep fighting for as long as he has the energy to do so.
A long-awaited Seville occasion
La Cartuja provided the backdrop for a significant European win as Betis edged Porto in a five-goal contest. For Isco, the result belonged as much to the stands as to the players, with the midfielder underlining how long the club’s followers had been waiting to experience a Champions League evening of such consequence.
“The atmosphere was incredible,” he said. “It has been 21 years since these supporters had a night like this in the top European competition.”
Betis had given their fans a match worthy of that wait, and Isco stressed that the backing from the crowd had been constant. He said the supporters deserved to celebrate a victory after the team’s “incredible” effort on the pitch.
The captain also framed the Champions League campaign as especially meaningful on a personal level. He said playing in the competition with the club that had restored his enthusiasm for the game was an extraordinary feeling, and hoped there would be many more nights of this kind.
Betis refuse to settle
Despite the Porto win, Isco did not present Betis as a side ready to be satisfied. He said there were still aspects to correct and pointed to the need for sharper game management, recalling the experience against Osasuna when Betis were at their strongest but were then pegged back.
“We keep going,” he said. “There are things to improve and we do not want to settle. In football today, you cannot assume anything.”
His message was that Betis have arrived in the Champions League to compete rather than merely enjoy the occasion. “We have not come here to stroll around; we have come to compete like animals,” he said, adding that the team was strong but retained room to develop.
Isco, who said he had previously been written off, made clear that he has no intention of accepting that verdict. “I refuse,” he said. “I want to keep fighting.”
With Porto beaten and La Cartuja lifted by a landmark continental night, Betis now have a result capable of shaping their entire European week: proof that their Champions League return is not simply a reunion with the competition, but a campaign they intend to contest.
