Real Betis are unbeaten and sitting level at the top of La Liga after two rounds, following a 1-0 win away at Valencia in a fixture played at the Mestalla on Tuesday night that stayed goalless deep into the second half.
The breakthrough, when it came, was worth the wait. In the 82nd minute Pablo García, on as a substitute, finished off a swift counterattack he had helped start himself, meeting a cross from Fran García with a first-time volley that flew past goalkeeper Álvaro Valles. It was the 20-year-old's first goal in La Liga for Betis's first team, after scoring at every youth level for the club.
The goal carried extra resonance in Seville. Spanish outlet MundoBetis reported that the strike came just days after the club rebuffed interest from English Championship side Hull City in the young winger, who has been tipped as one of the brightest products of the Betis academy.
Manuel Pellegrini's side had to work for the win. The first half was scrappy and short on chances at either end, with Valencia's Danjuma forcing an early save in the 11th minute the closest either team came to breaking the deadlock before the break.
Betis improved markedly after Pellegrini turned to his bench, sending on Héctor Bellerín, Troy Parrott and eventually Pablo García, and the substitutes combined for the winning goal. Valencia had a swift chance to respond through Umar Sadiq soon after falling behind, but Valles' opposite number denied him to preserve the lead.
According to SempreValencia's account of the match, Carlos Corberán's side "showed willingness, commitment and at times good football" in front of 45,472 fans at the Mestalla, but lacked the squad depth to see off a Betis team that has now taken maximum points from its opening two league matches, both played away from home.
The result leaves Valencia with just one point from a possible six to start the season, having drawn their opener against Celta Vigo before Tuesday's defeat, and still searching for their first league goal on home turf this campaign.
For Betis, it is a rather different story. MundoBetis framed the win as one "worth a share of the league lead," with Pellegrini's men perfect through two rounds as La Liga's early rounds get under way.
Attention now turns to the coming weekend's fixtures, with both clubs looking to build on contrasting starts — Betis chasing a third straight win, Valencia needing a first goal and a first win of their own at the Mestalla.
