Real Betis recover from early setback to draw first leg of quarter-final with Braga

[p]The hosts started brightly and put the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/betis/vJbTeCGP/"]Betis[/a] defence under pressure right from the off. After just three minutes, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lopez-pau/rZes9CKA/"]Pau Lopez[/a] made a strong save to deny [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/braga/dpUer7ht/"]Braga[/a] captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/horta-ricardo/C6VHJ9JM/"]Ricardo Horta[/a] from giving the hosts a very early lead.[/p][p][b]However, there was nothing Lopez could do about Braga’s next effort just moments later, as a corner from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oliveira-rodrigues-diego/MFIWVcdq/"]Diego Rodrigues[/a] found [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/grillitsch-florian/WfACar9B/"]Florian Grillitsch[/a] at the near post, and the Austria international finished superbly for his third goal of the season.[/b][/p][embed guid="89fc7c93-cf8f-4169-941b-08d99f7cd2d6" url="https://x.com/SCBragaOficial/status/2041926855624671695" social-type="twitter" /][p]For a split second, Betis thought they had netted an instant equaliser when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bartra-marc/8K4WA9Gh/"]Marc Bartra[/a] found the back of the net from close range, but his strike was immediately ruled out for offside. [/p][p]Bartra was left frustrated again shortly after the midway point of the first half, as he saw his powerful header hit the post before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hornicek-lukas/4xGGcozp/"]Lukas Hornicek[/a] was called upon to produce a great block and prevent [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ez-abde/YRiVcQ3T/"]Abde Ezzalzouli[/a] from levelling the game.[/p][p]The Heliopolitanos continued to build momentum as the first half progressed, and only an outstanding save from Hornicek stopped [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cucho-hernandez/65KF7LTO/"]Cucho Hernandez[/a] from equalising after 37 minutes.[/p][p][b]Nevertheless, Manuel Pellegrini’s side eventually drew level a quarter of an hour into the second half. After [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gorby/pSICdAse/"]Jean-Baptiste Gorby[/a] brought down Ezzalzouli inside the box, referee Felix Zwayer had no hesitation in awarding a penalty, and Hernandez emphatically converted the subsequent spot-kick.[/b][/p][embed guid="95ad574c-60cb-4d9c-b604-6c77b9d87726" url="https://x.com/RealBetis_en/status/2041943825564811583" social-type="twitter" /][p]The latter stages of the encounter were tense, with both sides aware that a second goal for either team could prove to be absolutely crucial.[/p][p]Ultimately, though, despite the best efforts of each outfit, a late winner could not be found. It is therefore all to play for when the teams meet in Seville next week, with the winners of this tie facing either [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/freiburg/fiEQZ7C7/"]Freiburg[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celta-vigo/8pvUZFhf/"]Celta Vigo[/a] in the last four.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/grillitsch-florian/WfACar9B/"]Florian Grillitsch[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/braga/dpUer7ht/"]Braga[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/betis-vJbTeCGP/braga-dpUer7ht/?mid=OM0A76ll"]Click here for more on the match[/a][/b][/p][image alt="Match stats" id="270bc025-5cb3-42d2-bc03-cceabb3b37c3" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="6d50b26f-b29b-4927-8707-5ded5893f39c" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /]