By Manolo Rodríguez

 

 

Real Betis have won four times at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián, a venue that opened in 1993 to replace the obsolete Atocha, that football temple that had the fans really close to the players and that recreated all the epic components that this sport invented by the English in the 19th Century has.

The first of those victories, as it has been said, happened the first time Real Betis played in said place. It was a Copa del Rey round in 1995. Betis won 0-1, goal scored by Ureña. These were the line-ups:

Real Sociedad: Alberto, Fuentes, Loren, Picabea, Aranzábal, Lumbreras, Imaz (Iturrino 47'), Karpin, De Pedro, Luis Pérez (Idiakez 62'), Kodro.   

Real Betis: Diezma, Merino, Ureña, Vidakovic, Josete, Cañas, Roberto Ríos, Alexis, Menéndez, Sabas (Olías 70'), Kowalczyk.

The first win in LaLiga happened in the 1996/1997 season. It was Match 33, April 1997. The manager was still Lorenzo Serra Ferrer and the Green and Whites won 0-1 (Josete scored) and a very similar line-up to the one used two years earlier.

In 1998, the Copa draw made these two teams clash once again. It is, until now, the last time both teams have meet in this tournament, and it was a vibrant duel between two powerful teams. The Basque side were third in LaLiga and the Green and Whites were making their debut in a competition in which they were runners-up that year. A good presentation for the that Last 16 round.

Real Betis head coach was Luis Aragonés and the team was doing irregularly in the league. They were still playing the Cup Winners Cup and were placed in the middle part of the table when the round came. However, they were still enjoying the victory 3-2 over Real Madrid in the last game played at Villamarín. That had been the first game of 1998 and the fans wanted to continue the streak in the following game at home against Valladolid. It could not be, though, as 48 hours before the game, Valladolid chairman, Marcos Fernández, passed away, and the club asked for a postponement.

In this way, Betis travelled to San Sebastián without having played the previous weekend. Something Luis Aragonés complained about. He stated: "It's been harmful for us because we lost the pace of the competition. Real are in better shape."

On Wednesday the 14th of January of 1998, the first leg was held at Anoeta. And Real Betis comes on the pitch wearing a new kit. A beautiful green kit with striped socks.

 

The new uniform was born with success. Betis performed superbly and beat their rival in every aspect. The possession percentage is really high and the team strikes for the first time in the 32nd minute. Finidi gets the ball, makes a run and, before stepping in the box, he produces a great effort that takes goalkeeper Alberto by surprise.

 

Just after the start of the second half, Betis has the chance to close the game. Alfonso is tackled inside the box, but Alexis sends the penalty shoot wide. However, Betis keeps leading the game and the final 0-2 comes in the 91st minute scored by Iván Pérez.

 

The line-ups for the game:

Real Sociedad: Alberto, Fuentes, Loren, Picabea, Rekarte, Juan Gómez (Gracia 56'), Imaz, Kühbauer; Cvitanovic (Kovacevic 61'), Mutiu (Craioveanu 46'), De Paula.

Real Betis: Prats, Ureña, Solozábal, Olías, Jaime, Alexis, Cañas, Jarni (Iván Pérez 82'); Finidi (Márquez 74'), Alfonso, Oli (Fernando 68').

That night, goalkeeper Antonio Prats made his debut in the competition (the previous season he was always on the bench and Pedro Jaro was the first choice) and Luis Aragonés seemed quite happy about the victory. He outlined the great performance his side put on and even said the score was short to what the team had done. His last sentence was: "When they have a Good day, Betis act like a big team."

The second leg was played at Benito Villamarín on Wednesday the 21st. Betis administrated the advantage in the score and Real Sociedad were unable, at any point, to give the feeling they could turn it around. The match ended 1-1. Oli opened the score in the 22nd minute and Aldeondo closed it in the 80th. The news that day, though, at national and international level, was that Deportivo Alavés had eliminated Real Madrid at Bernabéu.

Real Betis got through in Copa del Rey and, in the quarter finals, the met Real Zaragoza. And that was one of the biggest downs of the season.

 

Regarding the nice kit used at Anoeta, Real Betis only wore it two more times in the season. In February in their match at Compostela (a victory 2-3) and again in San Sebastián in March, although that time the team lost 2-0.

The fourth victory at Anoeta came in the 2003/2004 season and happened again in LaLiga. It was the 6th of December of 2003 and the Green and Whites won 0-4 with a brace from Joaquín (he was outstanding that day), Capi and Juanito. A well-needed result in that moment and extra credit for manager Víctor Fernández, back then in his second spell in the team. Since then, five draws and five defeats.

And just one final detail: only one player participated in the four game that the team won at Anoeta in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2003. We're talking about the everlasting Juan José Cañas. A beautiful memory that talks well about his good career at Heliópolis. Another symbol of the 15 seasons in which he defended the Green and White shirt.