12/10/2014 - 21:31

This Sunday Betis B achieved an important win over La Hoya Lorca CF, in a match which was decided in the last few minutes. Carlos García sealed the victory for the green-and-whites in extra time after Ignacio Abeledo had managed to equalise after the first goal of the match from Higinio for the opponents.

Betis B started strongly, trying not to let the home side break free, which gradually fought back and it was Marcos Torres who had the first shot at goal, but it went over the crossbar. As the minutes went by, neither team was able to take control of the game, which stayed largely in the midfield area. La Hoya Lorca scored in minute 24’, but Javi Montoya reacted quickly to trap the ball when Antonio Pino was in front of the goal. The ball was then stopped by Varela. However, the best opportunity for the Heliopolitan team came from Álex Alegría, in the 34th minute. The outside forward picked up a rebound inside the area and his low shot at goal forced Raúl Moreno to dive to avoid a goal.

La Hoya Lorca moved forward at the start of the second half and it was the home team who made the first two attempts at goal, both from Higinio. The first and most dangerous was stopped by Javi Montoya following an individual effort by the local striker. Higinio's speed enabled him to launch another attack, although the Betis B defence held firm and sent the ball in the other direction at the first opportunity. In minute 72’, Abeledo went unchallenged as he took the ball from the midfield and shot at goal, but just managed to hit to post. When it looked as though the score line was set, the final minutes of the game turned out to be the most exciting. Higinio made it 1-0 in minute 84, but Betis B took the blow with class and went on attack with determination. And three minutes later, Abeledo scored the equaliser. And then, with the whistle about to blow, Carlos García caught a rebound outside the area and with a low shot got the ball past the home team's goalkeeper to seal an important victory for the green-and-whites.

La Hoya  Lorca CF: Raúl Moreno, Marcos Pérez, Jaime Paredes, Nino, Pina, Álvaro Muñiz, Marcos Torres (Hugo, min. 58), Nico, Pau Franch, Antonio Pino (Higinio, min. 46) and Joselu (Sergio, min. 72).

Betis B: Javi Montoya, Rafa Navarro, Varela, Caro, José Carlos, De la Hoz, Isaac (Ismael, min. 87), Carlos García, Álex Alegría, Fabián (Juanma, min. 88) and Marco Rosa (Abeledo, min. 53).

Goals: 1-0, min. 84: Higinio. 1-1, min. 87: Abeledo. 1-2, min. 93: Carlos García.

Juan Merino: “The team has grown as a result of this victory”

Juan Merino spoke to the press after the match. The Betis B coach was clearly very satisfied with the result of the match played on Murcian soil, and wanted to highlight the effort put in by his team in order to walk away with a victory that they had believed in until the very last minute.".

Was the inclusion of Ignacio Abeledo a key factor?: “I am the first to say that I am very happy with his behaviour, the great attitude that he always has and his good performance. He has played really well, but in general, all the players have behaved brilliantly and under difficult circumstances”.

Analysis of the game: “Our rivals had been undefeated at home, but the team believed they could win until the very last minute. A 1-0 scoreline would have been the fourth consecutive loss, and that would have been really hard on the lads. The team believed they could win. Ultimately, it's true that luck is also an important factor in any football game, but if you have a dream that you are excited about and you go for it, sooner or later you will make it a reality. And now we have done it”.

Opinion on the rival team: “It was much better in the second half. The game didn't flow well in the first half, the condition of the pitch made play difficult for both sides. It was a physically demanding match. There were few goal-scoring opportunities, both for them and for us. I preferred the second half. We had some tough times when they got it together. They didn't have any clear opportunities to score, but they were getting closer. I would also congratulate my team on their resistance throughout the whole match, for being a solid team, and from now on I know that they will be a bit more mature than they were before the start of this match”.

Were they too lucky?: “A one-nil score would not have been normal for the was the two teams were playing. The effort that the lads put in was impressive. A draw would have been fair for both sides. In football we see things that look difficult, but as I have already said we believed in that draw and that victory the whole way through the game. We also had a bit of luck, we fought until the end, but a draw would have been a fair result”.