#BetisB04 review: Feeling good ahead of derby

summary: deserved point after tight game

The top match in Europa League Group G absolutely lived up to its name. Real Betis and Bayer 04 battled at a high level. After the Werkself made a blistering start to the game with three very good chances missed early on, the Spanish side then settled down and it developed into an open and evenly balanced match with Real Betis having more of the action in the second half. After an unlucky intervention by Jeremie Frimpong in the Werkself penalty area, referee Bartosz Frankowski awarded a penalty to the Seville team with Iglesias hitting the ball into the net straight down the middle (75'). Bayer 04 found the right response and levelled shortly after that with a deflected shot from Robert Andrich (82'). Given the share of the play, the final result was more than in order – also because the Werkself had clear-cut opportunities over the 90 minutes. The Betis keeper Bravo pulled off an excellent save to deny Kerem Demirbay sealing victory for the Werkself with seconds to go. The match report is HERE.

reaction: "head home feeling good"

"A good response" by the team after defeat against FC Bayern was the assessment of head coach Gerardo Seoane. "In being compact, aggressive, with the ball. We had some good moves and should have taken the lead." Nevertheless, the Swiss boss talked about a well earned point overall: "The draw is down to the events on the pitch. In the last quarter of an hour we had one or two chances and perhaps could have sealed victory." Seoane summed it up: "We head home feeling good."

And central defender Jonathan Tah also saw "a very good game by us." He continued: "The important thing was that we showed to ourselves that we could put on a different performance and reveal our quality on the pitch – and that's what we did. That gives us a lot of confidence for the next match and that means the last one is behind us."

Personnel: an important goal first time out

There is unanimity about how the goal came about. "The goal wasn't pretty but we worked for it," said Jonathan Tah – and the Robert Andrich was delighted by "a very lucky goal but it's a goal nevertheless." It is also a very special one for the Werkself new signing: Andrich scored a goal in his first match on the European stage. He was on the bench for 90 minutes in the game against Ferencváros and was injured for the away game at Celtic. A remarkable story for the 27-year-old who was still playing in the third division for Wehen Wiesbaden in 2018 – particularly after he has not played in the Bundesliga for more than a month due to suspension

Edmond Tapsoba has had to wait even longer. After the Werkself defender made his comeback against FC Bayern on Sunday following an ankle injury, he was in the starting eleven for the first time this season in Seville and straightaway returned to his familiar solid self. That included an outstanding clearance to deny Fekir just before the break (41'). Great to have you back on board, Eddy.

Stats: slight advantage to Werkself

An evenly balanced encounter with a slight advantage to Bayer 04: That reflects the statistics from the match with the Werkself just ahead of the hosts in terms of possession (53.4%) and challenges won (50.5%). Real Betis were slightly on top in shots on goal (15 to 12) even though the Werkself definitely had the more dangerous chances from players like Lucas Alario and Kerem Demirbay.

what the papers say: "frightening atheletic superiority"

The match at FC Köln on Sunday is already looming in the media. For example, in the BILD: "Bayer pass derby stress test in Seville," and the EXPRESS end the match report with the words "The game was chalked off with the final whistle – the derby is on Sunday!"

But, of course, the events at Real Betis on Thursday were also covered in reports. "Good response from Bayer 04" was the headline in the Kölnische Rundschau and the report says the Werkself "produced a decent performance for much of the game." In contrast, the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger highlighted the "frightening athletic superiority in comparison with the very disciplined Betis team," who again and again were outplayed by the Werkself at the start. The Rheinische Post also praised the "impressive opening phase” by the Black and Reds that later developed into "an evenly balanced battle" with the Spaniards. The 1-1 scoreline was seen as a "deserved draw."

outlook: Derby time on sunday

There is not long before Bayer 04 meet Real Betis again. The Spaniards visit the BayArena in the next top match in the group on 4 November. The Werkself are now focused on the derby on Sunday, 24 October (kick-off: 15.30 CEST). At FC Köln, our team will want to add derby victory to the response shown in Andalusia – and if possible continue the impressive record against the Cologne team from last season: Bayer 04 won both matches with a combined goal difference of 7 for and 0 against. Do it again, lads.