Villarreal 1 - Betis 1

Villarreal: López Vallejo; Xavi Roca, Ballesteros, Quique Alvarez, Galván; Galca, Amor; Cagna (Gracia 83'), Víctor, Calleja; Pizzi (Craioveanu 70'). 4-2-3-1.
Betis: Prats; Filipescu, Juanito, Rivas, Luis Fernández; Ito, Benjamín; Joaquín, Capi, Denilson (Mingo 78'); Dani (Amato 63'). 4-2-3-1.

Team changes: Villarreal: Ballesteros, Galván, Amor, Víctor for Unai, Arruabarrena, Escoda, Jorge López / Betis: No change.

Goals:
1-0. 20. Amor. Shot wide of Prats after Pizzi headed down Calleja cross.
1-1. 35. Dani. Got on the end of long Denilson pass to shoot past keeper.

Villarreal and Betis played out a 1-1 draw which didn't really help either team. The home side were hoping for a victory to help them move away from the danger zone, and the visitors wanted to win to keep up their push for a Champions League spot, but in the end they had to make do with a point each. Víctor and Ballesteros returned to Víctor Muñoz's side after a one match ban, but Jorge López was injured and more importantly Arruabarrena was missing through suspension, leaving the left side of defence open to attack from the on-form Joaquín. The match got off to a spirited start, with the home side surprising the visitors with their rapid incursions in attack. With twenty minutes on the clock they took the lead, Guillermo Amor getting his first goal in almost six years after Pizzi headed back Calleja's long cross in from the left wing.

The goal woke Betis up from their somnolent state, and they started to get the ball out to the wings for Joaquín and Denilson to open the game up. Dani failed to make the best of a ball in from Joaquín, but soon afterwards he made up for it, forcing the ball past López Vallejo as the keeper appeared to misread a long bouncing cross from Denilson. The pace dropped off though after the break, and although both sides set up attacks, the two keepers were never really troubled. Juande Ramos brought on the more physical Amato and Muñoz replaced a tired Pizzi with Craioveanu, but both appeared to be lacking match practise and made little impression. Betis return home with a point which keeps up their European hopes, even though they drop a place to fifth. Villarreal have little chance of anything other than survival this year, although they did register for the Intertoto cup just in case. They stay in fourteenth place, but are now only three points above the drop zone, and with a visit to Real Madrid due next week could soon be in trouble.