La Liga: Real Betis 0 – 2 Atlético
Strong second half performance by Atleti to earn 3 points in Seville
Diego Costa celebrates his goal (MARCA)
An exciting game on a sunny afternoon in Seville between one of La Liga’s top dogs and its last placed team finished like you’d expect, with an Atlético Madrid victory over Real Betis.
A strong second half performance saw the Rojiblancos score twice in the space of five minutes in a short span which decided the game. A few moments prior to the opening goal Betis’ Braian Rodríguez had been sent off, leaving his team without options of coming back into the game.
It was captain Gabi who broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when he struck from distance after receiving the ball from Arda Turan.
A few moments later Diego Costa and Raúl García messed up a perfect opportunity to double our lead, but it wouldn’t be long until the second goal was scored. When Betis failed to clear a cross in the 64th minute, it was Koke who allowed Diego Costa to strike from close distance. It was Costa’s 23rd goal in la Liga this season, matching Betis’ entire league total.
Diego Costa, who’s far from a popular player in all of Seville, has now scored in the last four meetings with Betis. Curiously, all four of his goals were scored between the 55th and 65th minute. Costa should have had another goal, but he was incorrectly ruled offside in the first half. He was out of luck again ten minutes before the end, when his goalbound header was blocked by teammate David Villa.
At the start of the second half, with the game still scoreless, it was actually Betis who had the biggest opportunity to go ahead, but Juan Carlos hit the post after a lovely through ball by Jorge Molina.
Then, just a few minutes after the break, Braian Rodríguez received his second yellow card of the game for foolishly slapping the ball away with his hand. The sending off was the beginning of the end for Betis, who are now 9 points away from a spot that’ll keep them in the Primera next season. At the other end of the table Atlético are back on top, with Real Madrid set to play Barcelona later on Sunday night.
Atletico Madrid News 24/7 
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 |
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| Real Betis | 02 | Atlético |
| Gabi 59' | ||
| Diego Costa 64' |
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Liga BBVA |
 |
Benito Villamarín |
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23 March 2014 |
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17:00 CET |
Team Lineups
|
| Adán |
| Chica |
| Paulao |
| Amaya (27') |
| Jordi |
| Juan Carlos (69') |
| Juanfran |
| NDiaye |
| Reyes (75') |
| Rodríguez |
| Molina |
| Substitutes used |
| Nono (27') |
| Cédrick (69') |
| Matilla (75') |
|
| Courtois |
| Juanfran |
| Miranda |
| Godín |
| Filipe |
| Koke (83') |
| Gabi |
| Mario |
| Arda (66') |
| Raúl García (60') |
| Diego Costa |
| Substitutes used |
| Diego (60') |
| Villa (66') |
| Sosa (83') |
Match Stats
| Possession | |
|---|---|
| 34 | 66 |
| Shots | |
|---|---|
| 5 | 9 |
| On Target | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| Corners | |
|---|---|
| 0 | 7 |
| Fouls | |
|---|---|
| 18 | 14 |
| Yellow Cards | |
|---|---|
| 4 | 2 |
| Red Cards | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0 |
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Kris
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Kris
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farhan
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Ali
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farhan
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farhan
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piserakos
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Will
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Ali
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Ali
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Will
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Ali
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Will
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Ali
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Ali
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Chewie
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kris
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Zakaria
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EC
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piserakos
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Ahmad Hossainy
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layibiyi
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piserakos
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Andres (Lolaya)
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farhan
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Farzad