‘Betis never inferior to Sevilla’

Dani Ceballos has claimed that Real Betis “will never be inferior” to Sevilla after Saturday’s stalemate in the Andalucian derby.

Neither team could find the winner at Benito Villamarin, but the starlet believes his side can come out of the match with more credit due to “matching” their arch-rivals’ “intensity and desire”, despite their status as underdogs and smaller budget.

“The team are stronger for the point, but we always want to win so we leave for our holidays a little sad,” he said after the game.

“Still, we weren’t lacking in our attitude and desire, which is what the fans wanted, and we lived up to their expectations.

“A derby is always special, but I still try to do the same things I usually do in other games.

“I feel comfortable in the position I'm in [No 10], I’m playing well and I hope more games follow.

“We studied what would happen [prior to kick-off]. Many players hadn’t played in a derby before, but they played as if they’d already played in three.

“It seems that [Unai] Emery makes his team pretty intense, but we showed our faces and fought to the end.

“Betis will never be inferior to Sevilla, and we matched their intensity and desire. They weren’t better than us, despite the [greater] budget they have.

“Marking out a player like [Ever] Banega was essential because he’s a player who can make a difference.

“We already saw that in the first half with his pass to [Kevin] Gameiro. He has plenty of quality, but we marked him out of the game.

“I wouldn’t mind if we played Sevilla all season. If we play [the next derby] like they did [on Saturday], we have a 50 percent chance.

“People thought Sevilla were favourites, but we showed our faces.”

Tags Dani Ceballos
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