Real Betis secure Champions League qualification after narrow win against 10-man Elche

[p][b]Knowing a victory would secure a top-five place, the hosts made the best possible start by opening the scoring after just nine minutes when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cucho-hernandez/65KF7LTO/"]Cucho Hernández[/a] wonderfully found the bottom corner from outside the area. [/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/antony/dIe4SZEK/"]Antony[/a] then wasted a chance to double the advantage, whereas Eder Sarabia’s men, who started the night just outside the relegation zone, struggled to make any impression on the game.[/p][p][b]Their equaliser, four minutes before the break, therefore came out of nowhere. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fort-hector/0l4CHjYp/"]Hector Fort[/a], on loan from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a], was the man who got it, clinically finding the far top corner from inside the area with just his second league goal of the campaign.[/b][/p][embed guid="21164700-b239-44fe-b0e5-fcebf834073d" url="https://x.com/LaLigaEN/status/2054291923469238441" social-type="twitter" /][p][b] [/b]That gave the visitors the momentum, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/silva-andre/UZRsjD5h/"]Andre Silva[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/febas-aleix/IylSu6Jk/"]Aleix Febas[/a] wasted two huge openings, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diangana-grady/fBK3Oq37/"]Grady Diangana[/a] controversially had a goal ruled out for a handball in the build-up on the stroke of half-time.[/p][p]Any hopes the visitors harboured of finding a second were all but extinguished when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/petrot-leo/db3kbs2N/"]Leo Petrot[/a] was sent off shortly after the restart, with the defender dismissed for a dangerous, high tackle where he raked his studs down the trailing leg of Antony.[/p][p]That opened the door for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guedes-goncalo/pORMn6gO/"]Manuel Pellegrini[/a]’s side to retake the lead, and Hernandez duly saw a header deflected onto the bar, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lo-celso-giovani/UZeyLfKI/"]Giovani Lo Celso[/a] had a strike easily saved.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/betis/vJbTeCGP/"]Betis[/a] had lost just one of the last nine home head-to-heads, and they had half an hour to find a winner. [/p][p][b]They needed just eight of them, though, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fornals-pablo/CfghB0gf/"]Pablo Fornals[/a] broke a two-month drought with a screamer from distance that arrowed into the top corner. [/b][/p][p]The floodgates threatened to open from then on, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ez-abde/YRiVcQ3T/"]Abde Ezzalzouli[/a] denied by goalkeeper Matías Dituro after rapid counter attack, and, after Álvaro Rodríguez had blazed over at the other end, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/isco/ULLmpdEb/"]Isco[/a] missed the target from just inside the box.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/elche/4jl02tPF/"]Elche[/a] threw on a string of attacking substitutes as they looked to avoid a third game without defeat, but wayward finishing proved to be their downfall.[/p][p]Such is the incredible relegation picture in La Liga, they could be in the relegation zone by the next time they play, against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/getafe/dboeiWOt/"]Getafe[/a] on Sunday, whereas Real Betis - who could have added a third through Hernández in injury time -  extended their unbeaten run to seven fixtures.[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="021d601a-20b8-4bb9-943a-a07eff419b18" credit-line="StatsPerform via Opta" guid="259ca7fe-8416-465c-b577-e5f6fac7b60e" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/llorente-diego/2XJ8qBI1/"]Diego Llorente[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/betis/vJbTeCGP/"](Real Betis[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/betis-vJbTeCGP/elche-4jl02tPF/summary/stats/?mid=OrBUvnHd"]Catch up on the match stats with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]