BETIS-ALAVES | Betis destroys Alavés

An exhibition by Canales exposed the shortcomings of Alavés in just 45 minutes and boosted Betis’ aspirations in the privileged area of ​​LaLiga. The Cantabrian drew a perfect first half hour in which he signed a precise assist and a high-flying goal that unraveled Mendilibar’s entire plan. Borja Iglesias signed up for his party with a double and Fekir as an inseparable partner. Betis dreams of settling in that Champions area after recovering the path of victory. Alavés suffers in the relegation zone waiting for their new coach to find a path that he was not able to glimpse in Heliopolis.

Betis went on the attack from the start. He looked for Fekir at every moment and it did not take him long to warn the Alavés defense with vertical associations. The Mendilibar team responded with their usual hunt for spaces, with Rioja as a differential element and with the Verdiblanca defense risking each offside line. And from Fekir the first Betic blow was born. He staged a lateral free kick to ally himself with Canales on that left wing and Borja Iglesias masterfully finished off a header against Miazga, the measured center of the Cantabrian. Impossible for Pacheco.

The goal minimized the albiazul team. Pellegrini’s men kept the ball and the visitors took a long time to worry Bravo. Toni Moya tested the Chilean from a distance without success. But from there the Alavés seemed to grow. Mendilibar’s brushstrokes are noticeable in the form of high pressure and intensity, but a handful of defensive doubts also entered the scene. Betis took advantage of that moment of pauses before half an hour. Saved broke the rival pressure with a vertical pass to Canales and there began a race from midfield that became the umpteenth genius of the Cantabrian. He looked to the right and to the left. He didn’t even need to feint. The defense of Alavés hesitated and Canales placed the inside of his left foot to draw a perfect hit that slipped through Pacheco’s squad kissing the crossbar.

Alavés looked for Jason and Rioja. He almost never found them. Escalante was proud and Joselu expected some punctual connection to get your chance. But it was the Vitoria team that would complete the chaos before the break. An unlucky Miazga gave the ball to Pacheco without noticing that Borja Iglesias was between them. A gift that the Galician did not waste, defining with subtlety. The balance already seemed totally unbalanced at rest.

Mendilibar translated into anger in a festival of changes in the restart. One of them conditioned by Duarte’s injury after looking for a distant shot. Betis closed lines and waited longer for Alavés, who was not very incisive in his desire to damage the rival area. Only Rioja found certain routes to Bravo without being able to connect with any partner. And Betis reigned in space. Especially Fekir, who took advantage of Juanmi’s clearance to measure a remarkable pass. The one from Coín, alone, faked against Pacheco and raised the ball over the goal to make Villamarín explode again. The same, and there are twelve, for his personal account in that career of national scorers in LaLiga.

Technicians kept moving parts before closing. Pellegrini, to measure tiredness and perhaps applause. Mendilibar, to look for holes that Miguel de la Fuente tried to find, erratic in a good opportunity against Claudio Bravo. Heliopolis lives days of joy and hope. The points keep Betis in the Champions zone and boost the brilliance of their coach. The accounts, meanwhile, continue to leave threads of concern in an Alavés that needs more improvement to get out of the hole.