SPORTING 0 – BETIS 2 | De Burgos Bengoetxea sentences Sporting in just three minutes

It was the 17th minute of a match that had started evenly. Sporting quickly reaches the Betis area, Cumic finds a pass from his compatriot Djurdjevic and his left shot, which was looking for the base of Joel's right post, is deflected in its path by the arm of Víctor Díaz; referee Ricardo de Burgos Begoetxea admits that the ball touches the arm but considers the action involuntary and gives a corner. It is a questionable decision, to say the least.

Not three minutes had passed and again the Basque referee did not hesitate for a moment to show the red card to Marc Valiente, who was late – and feet first – to a ball that had gone long and that Canales snatched. Live, the entrance seemed very violent but it also lends itself to interpretation. The damage was for the Sporting that stayed with one less player with more than an hour of game ahead.

As if that were not enough, six minutes later, De Burgos Bengoetxea did not hesitate to point out, this time yes, penalty for a tackle by Javi Fuego to Diego Lainez, in a divided ball that went to corner. Canales did not forgive in the launch of the maximum penalty and Betis headed to the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. Too much punishment in such a short time for David Gallego's Sporting that this time he will have missed the VAR because he was sentenced earlier than expected, when he had special illusion in being able to continue in this competition.

Until that moment of the game, the most dangerous arrivals had been from Sporting. So much so that Djurdjevic came to score in a good combination of the rojiblancos in attack, but the goal was disallowed for offside (5 ').

After 1-0, Betis was superior just because they know how to play with the ball in their possession, they had one more piece on the pitch and it was going to be a matter of time before they could extend the advantage. Rodri was in charge of putting the 2-0 in the individual action of the afternoon, which also had the defensive weakness of the sportinguistas who perhaps over-measured themselves when putting their foot in view of the previous arbitration decisions.

Pellegrini left Canales in the dressing room after the break and Betis dedicated themselves to letting the minutes pass before a Sporting that put their hearts. Cumic had the best opportunity to close the gap but Joel guessed if he intended to go head-to-head with the Serbian (57 ').

Betis played tran-tran, without risking too much and letting Sporting do it in the final half hour. A shot by Juanmi and another shot by Guarded were the best of the Verdiblancos in attack in that second half with very little history.

Thus ended a match that had an audience in El Molinón-Quini for the first time in almost a year. The lucky ones were 300 sportinguistas Those who, by subscriber number, had to return to enjoy an afternoon of football at the Gijon stadium. By numbering they were the oldest partners of the rojiblanca entity. More than one will have remembered with the controversial arbitration of De Burgos Bengoetxea some afternoon of anger in the glorious decade of the 80 with the then Basque referee Burgos Núñez, father of the braid that this time ended the illusions of Sporting in the Copa del Rey. The arbitration saga of the Núñez in El Molinón has no luck.

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Gallego: Despite the elimination, this match reinforces us

Sporting coach David Gallego has stated that, despite the defeat suffered this Sunday against Betis in the Copa del Rey, the game against the Verdiblancos has served to “reinforce” the squad.

“We were able, with one less player, to compete as we have competed, “he stated after the match in which the Andalusian club won 0-2 and in which Sporting suffered the expulsion of defender Marc Valiente.

Gallego has ensured that his team has interpreted “very well the different phases” of a match in which the rojiblancos “pressed” and they generated “some occasions”.

The technician has indicated that now it's time to “recover” after the match and face the second round of the league, which he predicted will be “demanding and very tough.”