Real Betis and Real Sociedad are engaged in a strong tussle for the Champions League spots. They occupy the fifth and sixth places in the LaLiga table, and Saturday’s draw has left the equation unchanged.
Tempers were flaring even before kick-off at the Estadio Anoeta. Sociedad and Betis supporters clashed on the streets of San Sebastian. According to Marca, the home ultras attacked nearly 25 visiting fans from Sevilla, and four of them were dealt minor injuries.
Both groups of supporters were quick to condemn the violence as police arrested and detained two individuals after the incident. On the pitch, however, it proved to be a tame affair and the game ended in a goalless stalemate.
Sociedad’s veteran midfielder David Silva received his marching orders in stopping time after being shown consecutive yellow cards a few minutes apart.
Fifth-placed Betis had the opportunity to overtake Atletico Madrid and move into the fourth position with a win in San Sebastian. Meanwhile, a victory for sixth-placed Sociedad would have seen them go level on points with Los Rojiblancos. The fourth spot is currently occupied by Diego Simeone’s men, who will face Espanyol on Sunday.
With six games remaining of the 2021/22 LaLiga season, both Sociedad and Betis are still in the hunt for the elusive fourth Champions League. Betis will now have one eye on the final of the Copa del Rey against Valencia which will be played on April 23.
On the other hand, giant killers Villarreal took the early lead against Getafe, and they were 2-0 up inside the first 20 minutes of the game, with Gerard Moreno and Manu Trigueros finding the back of the net for the Yellow Submarine.
Although Eres Unal pulled one back for the hosts, Unai Emery’s side held on for all three points. They are now seventh in the standings and six points behind Sociedad.
