CF Elche 1-1 Real Betis
Although their recent upturn in form saw Elche seeking all three points at last Sunday’s visit of fifth placed Real Betis, managed by former Real Madrid, Man City and West Ham coach Manual Pellegrini, the single point that they did earn saw them extend the gap to the three teams holding the relegation places to two points, a cushion that could be extended on Friday with a victory at home to Huesca, the team directly below them.
With newly determined European aspirations, Betis have improved enormously under their present coach and during the opening period at the Martinez Valero it looked as though they could secure Sunday evenings points by half time.
In just the 11th minute they were ahead through a Borja Iglesias penalty and the floodgates looked about to open. But there is rather more resolve in the Elche outfit following the return of Escribá, however it was not until the 36th minute that Elche managed showed signs of getting a foothold in the game with their first shot on target from Pere Milla, who beat Claudio Brava from close range to level the scores.
The action was thick and fast in the second period where there were plenty of chances for both teams. In the end though, despite Juanmi shaving the Elche post in added time, the scoreline remained unchanged with both teams reasonably happy to take away a point.
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