Las Palmas 0 - Betis
0
Las Palmas: Nacho
González; Edu Alonso (Socorro 79'), Sarasúa, Josico, Paqui;
Samways, Jayo; Carmelo, Jorge (Jaime Quesada 48'), Pablo Lago; Sequeiros
(Tevenet 60'). 4-2-3-1. Betis: Prats; Tais (Varela 75'), Juanito,
Rivas, Luis Fernández; Ito, Benjamín (Calado 65');
Joaquín, Capi, Denilson; Dani (Cañas 78'). 4-2-3-1.
Team changes: Las Palmas:
Jayo, Carmelo, Sequeiros for Angel, Schurrer, Orlando / Betis: Luis
Fernández, Dani for Mingo, Amato.
Goals: None.
Betis kept themselves in the
running for a European spot with a 0-0 draw at Las Palmas in the last game of
the day. A pre-match injury to Amato together with long term injuries to Casas
and Joao Tomás meant that Juande Ramos had no first team strikers
available, and B team youngster Dani started the match up front. Las Palmas
were missing three suspended players, and they too had to cobble together a
makeshift forward line, with Sequeiros getting an opportunity. The match
started at a frenetic pace, with Betis aware that some of their direct rivals
for the European spots had slipped up earlier in the day. With Joaquín
once again in tip-top form they bore down on Nacho González's goal, and
Sarasua had to clear a shot from the young winger off his line early on. The
Canary Islanders were quick on the break though, and Prats had to come out of
his area to clear with Sequeiros in hot pursuit of a long ball.
Gradually though the
defences got the better of their counterparts, and the season's leading two
keepers cleaned up whenever a forward or two got through. Both Dani and
Sequeiros did their best, but neither managed to convert their chances, and the
two managers tried other options nearer the end without much success. The
negative side of the game from the Las Palmas point of view was a bust up
between the volatile Vinny Samways and Pablo Lago, with the English midfielder
insulting his team-mate and the two almost coming to blows on the pitch. They
drop a place to thirteenth, but once again they keep clocking up the points and
seem to be heading for another season at least in the top flight. Betis drop
out of the top six to seventh, having not won away now since late November.
They are however still in the running for a European spot, and hope to have at
least one of their forwards fit for next Sunday's game against Athletic Bilbao.
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