Real Betis Mark Champions League Return With 3-2 Porto Win

Seville’s La Cartuja carried Real Betis back into the Champions League on a night of sharp turns and mounting noise, as Manuel Pellegrini’s side beat Porto 3-2 before 67,117 supporters. Twenty-one years after their previous appearance in Europe’s leading club competition, Betis recovered from a second-half deficit to claim a victory that will linger long in green-and-white memory.

A restless first half in Seville

Betis set a fierce early tempo. Abde tested Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa almost immediately, while Marc Roca then directed an effort into the side netting. Porto gradually found room beyond the home pressure and came close in the eighth minute, when André Silva headed against the crossbar after Álvaro Vallés’ poor goal-kick and an incomplete clearance from Natan.

The chances continued to trade hands. Nelson Deossa drove narrowly wide from outside the area in the 27th minute, before the evening’s first major controversy arrived five minutes before the interval.

• Porto thought they had taken the lead after Borja Sainz’s overhead kick, which brushed Marc Bartra’s head before striking the woodwork and bouncing over the line by the finest margin.
• Referee Clément Turpin initially awarded the goal, with no foul given for the contact involving Bartra.
• Video review overturned the decision because Sainz had handled the ball earlier in the move.

The score remained 0-0 at half-time, with neither side able to establish control over a contest already full of momentum swings.

Porto’s reply after Abde opens the scoring

Betis appeared to have found their breakthrough straight after the restart. Abde completed a flowing attacking move in the 47th minute, sending La Cartuja into celebration. Antony could have doubled the advantage two minutes later, but his attempt struck the post.

That missed opportunity proved costly. Gabri Veiga levelled for Porto from a free-kick in the 55th minute, with Vallés unable to keep the shot out. Six minutes later, Porto were ahead: Pepê supplied an inventive backheel and Samu Aghehowa, on his first touch after entering the match, finished for 2-1.

Pellegrini’s changes reshape the finish

Pellegrini turned to his bench as Betis sought to regain their footing, replacing Troy Parrott with Cucho Hernández and bringing on Dani Ceballos for Deossa. The response was immediate enough to transform the closing stages.

1. In the 74th minute, Cucho Hernández struck the equaliser with a fine finish.
2. At 84 minutes, Turpin awarded Betis a penalty after Francisco Moura’s challenge on Ángel Ortiz.
3. The incident went to VAR, but the penalty stood.
4. Isco took responsibility from the spot and converted to make it 3-2.

The final goal moved Betis from the anxiety of a possible home defeat to celebration, rewarding the hosts’ renewed push and the energy of a packed stadium. Porto, led by Francesco Farioli, had briefly looked capable of taking the occasion away from Seville, but the home side finished with the greater resolve.

Teams, goals and discipline