Real Betis advances to UECL last-16 with 3-1 aggregate win over Gent

Real Betis has secured a spot in the UEFA Conference League (UECL) last-16 after defeating Gent 3-1 on aggregate. The Spanish side dominated the first leg in Belgium, winning 3-0, and although Gent edged the second leg 1-0, it was too little, too late.

Betis started strongly in the second leg, with Vitor Roque and Abde Ezzalzouli both seeing early headers saved by Gent goalkeeper Davy Roef. Ezzalzouli also had a powerful drive from range superbly saved by Roef. However, despite their dominance, Betis was unable to find the back of the net in the first half.

Gent’s struggles to find a cutting edge in the final third made a miraculous turnaround unlikely. The Belgian side did come close to scoring before halftime, with Atsuki Ito curling narrowly wide from the edge of the box. However, it was clear that the tie was all but won for Betis.

In the second half, Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini made several changes to rest key players. Despite this, the hosts remained on the front foot, with Chimy Avila and Isco both missing the target when well-placed in the box. As the game entered its final stages, Betis was reduced to 10 men after Roque saw red for a high challenge on Archie Brown.

Brown dusted himself off and scored the winning goal for Gent with three minutes remaining, finishing emphatically into the roof of the net from Momodou Lamin Sonko’s through ball. However, the goal made little difference to the outcome of the tie, as Betis held firm to seal their spot in the UECL last-16.

Betis will now await the draw for the last-16, which takes place on Friday. The Spanish side will be looking to continue their strong run in the competition and advance to the quarterfinals.

Real Betis will face Getafe away from home in the La Liga this weekend in their next adventure.