Seville had a European night to savour as Real Betis came from behind to defeat Porto, with Manuel Pellegrini praising both the response to adversity and the return of Isco to the side.
The Chilean coach felt his team had been punished unfairly by the scoreline before their recovery, particularly after a first half in which Betis created a long list of chances. Rather than lose faith after falling behind, his players stayed with their game and found a way past the Portuguese leaders.
Quick facts
- Betis overturned a deficit to beat Porto.
- Pellegrini said his side had created many opportunities before going behind.
- Isco returned after recovering from two serious injuries.
- Betis have also beaten Lille, another current league leader, in this Champions League campaign.
- The club are back in the Champions League for the first time in 21 years.
Pellegrini began his post-match remarks with Isco, a player he first handed a top-flight debut to at Málaga when the midfielder was 18. The Betis manager described him as a footballer capable of changing matches and applauded the resilience shown through his injury setbacks.
“He is a player who makes the difference,” Pellegrini said, stressing both Isco’s technical quality and his strength of character during his recoveries.
The Porto win added to Betis’ success over Lille and gave fresh weight to their return to Europe’s leading club competition. Pellegrini noted that the two opponents arrived as leaders of their respective domestic leagues, while Betis are taking part in the Champions League again after a 21-year absence.
He made clear, however, that qualification alone is not the destination. Betis intend to compete for as long as their footballing level allows, without allowing the scale of the occasion to become an endpoint.
Pellegrini refused to place this squad against his previous Betis teams. Instead, he pointed to the wider record of his spell in Andalusia: European football in every season, a Copa del Rey triumph and an appearance in a continental final.
The coach also highlighted the development of Abde, praised Ángel Ortiz’s performance and credited a committed group for giving him options to rotate. Cucho, he added, had already been an important figure and again made a valuable contribution after coming on from the bench.
With the Porto result secured, Pellegrini urged Betis not to become distracted by the larger picture. “We must not look too far ahead; we have to focus on the next match,” he said.
