Benito Villamarín Stadium. 12:00 midday. A pressure match in which both teams were playing with either a nervous smile or a poker face. It was a battle of the strikers. Also it was a match that saw the return of several players. Casto, Momo and Ángel López returned to the Villamarín ground. A match that saw a lot of emotion in the stands. The atmosphere promised a great spectacle. But the fear of losing was evident in each team and after Perquis was sent off none of the players wanted to put a foot wrong and the game was played with much caution which eventually led to a nil-nil draw.

With N'Diaye absent, Velázquez changed the line-up. Pacheco made his debut, and Kadir was surprising in midfield. Betis played well in defence, dealing with any problems that came their way. Although there weren't too many of them. The most threatening play by Las Palmas was met with a solid defence and they were denied a goal. An attempt at goal by Jordi hit the post and the rebound was picked up by Araujo. Adán protected the goal and afterwards Jordi dived on the ground to stop the second shot. It was the best scoring opportunity in the first half (at minute 30). The Heliopolitan team responded with a cross from Cejudo. That was the main attacking play, apart from a shot from Jordi taken from almost under the goal, (minute 12) and an opportunity for Rubén that was deflected by a defender for a corner throw-in.

Betis were solid, they coped with every challenge, but there was no continuity and the ball once again ended up with the opponents who mounted their attack. With more of the same, the minutes went by, but the rhythm never changed. The pace slowed down. Furthermore, the referee, Oliver De la fuente Ramos, just 22 years old, made life difficult for the green-and-whites. In minute 29 Perquis, Jordi and Kadir were given warnings. Betis tried to apply pressure, but were dogged by fouls and were not awarded an obvious penalty against Molinero which would have changed the outcome of the match. The whistle blew and the teams left the pitch for half time.

The second half started off in the same vein as the first half. To shake things up a bit, Velázquez decided to tighten the screw on his team by bringing on Rennella to substitute Cejudo and change the formation to 1-4-4-2. The coach was looking to draw the defenders away from Rubén by having two forwards. A counter attack by Pacheco was taken by Kadir who tried to pass the ball to Ruben from inside the area, but it didn't reach the player from the Canary Isles. It was the most dangerous moment for both teams.

The game turned around in the 26th minute. Perquis made a late tackle which got him his second yellow card and a one-way trip to the bench. Just at that moment Velázquez was going to ramp up the pressure by bringing on Molina, but as a result of the setback Pacheco was taken off and Bruno was paired up with Jordi.

Paco Herrera also seized the opportunity and brought on Valerón for the final phase. And Adán was given the opportunity to show us what he's worth. The player from the Canary Isles passed to Nauzet for the winger to evade Casado but he was unable to penetrate Adan's goal madrileño. He shot low and Adán saved the ball.

Perquis leaving the pitch was a hard knock for Real Betis who were thereafter unable to get close to Casto. They were only able to defend their goal and hold their ground, which was challenging enough at the end of a game that had been extremely physically demanding. Real Betis came away with one point, they didn't lose in the Villamarín Stadium and they haven't lost their grip on the top positions of the league

Adán; Molinero, Perquis, Jordi, Casado (Álex Martínez, m. 75); Lolo Reyes, Matilla; Cejudo (Rennella, m. 60), Kadir, Pacheco (Bruno, m. 71); and Rubén Castro.

Casto; Ángel, David García, Aythami, Christian; Javi Castellano, Hernán (Guzmán, m. 84); Nauzet (Figueroa, m. 89), Vicente Gómez (Valerón, m. 79), Culio; and Araujo.

Referee: De la Fuente Ramos (Comité Castellano-Leonés). Yellow cards went to Adán, Matilla, Jordi Figueras, Kadir, Hernán and Perquis on two occasions, the second in minute 75