Newly promoted Elche rewarded for persistence against European hopefuls Real Betis | OneFootball

Elche 1-1 Real Betis

Elche kicked off their return to La Liga at a noisy Martinez Valero on Monday night with Real Betis in town as their opponents. The away team included new signing Rodrigo Riquelme in their starting line-up, while Alvaro Rodriguez led the line for the home team, with Andre Silva and Rafa Mir on the bench for Eder Sarabia.

It was Riquelme that made his impact first though, with Betis putting together a slick move to unlock the Elche defence. After a neat exchange in the middle of the pitch, Riquelme sent the ball in behind the defence for Aitor Ruibal, who curved his run behind the last defender and then beyond goalkeeper Matias Dituro.

Image via Cordon Press

The home side had largely dominated the ball, but were looking a little short of punch in the final third, with Betis relatively comfortable.

Elche given reward for consistent pressure

Betis seemed content with the pattern of the game, feeling that while Elche were dominating the ball, they were not getting shots on goal to trouble Pau Lopez. A good ball to the back post found Rodriguez, but he could not keep his effort down. Manuel Pellegrini appeared to be confident that Betis would get their opportunities on the break as the game progressed,  but similarly could not find a definitive opening – their best move saw Chimy Avila’s shot blocked after moving through the gears.

Yet the interpretation of the game was coloured by the final 15 minutes. If Betis’ approach had appeared savy, it looked passive by the end of the game. Elche on the flipside looked patient rather than lacking when a nice move culminated with Martin Neto in the penalty area. He showed composure to combine in the box, and then found German Valera in the middle of the box, whose finish squiggled past Lopez.

Elche had the better of the final moments pushing for the winner, but it was likely a fair point, they earned out of the matter, that will give Sarabia confidence his side can compete on a level playing field with some of La Liga’s best. Pellegrini on the other hand will feel his side