Real Betis knocked Rayo Vallecano out of the Copa del Rey last night in a tense, passionate encounter at the Benito Villamarin. Los Verdiblancos had already won the first leg but needed to ensure passage to the final of the Copa by avoiding defeat.
That they did, but not without a fight. They won the first leg 2-1 at Vallecas so when Bebe made it 2-2 on aggregate with a spectacular free-kick ten minutes from time that meant the tie was going to extra-time; that is, until substitute Borja Iglesias stabbed home to make it 1-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.
It was a thrilling end to a hard-fought contest, at the end of which it was easy to feel like both teams deserved to progress. Both Betis and Rayo have been performing above expectations this season; the former are third in La Liga, fighting for a place in next season’s Champions League, while the latter are 12th despite just being promoted from Segunda in the summer.
“Obviously it’s hard to lose like this,” Andoni Iraola said post-match in comments carried by Marca. “We saw ourselves playing until at least extra-time and the game had been going our way. But that’s football and we have to congratulate Betis on making it through to the final. We can be proud of the group of players that we have. They’ve given everything they had and I feel bad for them. We were very close, but it escaped us in stoppage time.”
