Ludogorets 0-1 Real Betis
Manuel Pellegrini made nine changes to his starting line-up but the rotations did little for either the performance or the fitness of the players. The result was one of few positive notes.
The first half required several saves from Claudio Bravo to ensure that Los Verdiblancos were not behind at the break. German Pezzella had been injured in the lead up to the match and the Chilean coach must have been cursing his luck when captain Joaquin had to be taken off before the half hour mark.
The other highlight for Real Betis was Nabil Fekir, who came on and scored Betis’ only goal again, as he did at the weekend against Atletico Madrid. Alex Moreno set him up and his impact is a massive boost for Betis. That turned out to be the winner, as Betis struggled through a tough match in which they had little to play for while their hosts will face Roma on the final day in a battle for qualification.
Before the end, Guido Rodriguez was also forced off with injury, leading to a debut for academy product Enrique Fernandez. Betis have now won their group with a game to spare, but Pellegrini will likely be facing Real Sociedad on Sunday night with depleted resources.
