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1-0: Defeat at Villamarín
Espanyol had scoring opportunities up until the final whistle
Betis and Espanyol were spurred on playing for a much-needed three points in this return to competition. Having dismissed their coaching staff after the last defeat at San Mamés, now in the final stretch, the locals wanted to demonstrate that they were better than their ranking might suggest, and that they're a strong unit with their sights set on greater goals. It's a similar story with the Blue and Whites who have failed to find consistency throughout the year. The defeat against Levante interrupted a strong start in this suffocating June. That hiccup now means they must regain these points in one of the remaining matches. The first challenge was at Villamarín, in a fight between the desperate.
Espanyol wanted to dominate from the start and the first opportunity fell to Campuzano, but he lost control when Joel came out. Betis responded with a deflected Mandi header followed soon afterwards with another one from Borja Iglesias.
No side was able to clearly dominate, although Canales had an opportunity with a deflected shot and in the final minutes, Calleri also got a chance, though it was intercepted by Mandi when he was inside the area, facing off against Joel.
The second half couldn't have started any worse. Bartra scored from a corner. Very much a mental blow. However, Campuzano followed up by outwitting the Betis central defender and smashed his shot into the side of the net.
Abelardo made a triple substitution and RDT failed to control a deep pass from Wu Lei. Betis knew they needed to shake off the pressure as soon as possible and started adapting their game to slow down any attempts at the visitors' advances. Espanyol put their heart and soul into scoring, but goals remained elusive. In the final minutes, Wu Lei pulled off a shot, but Joel responded with an exceptional stop.