Real Betis overpower Espanyol 3-0

Seville, March 18: Real Betis played a very complete match on a rainy day to overpower Espanyol 3-0, ending the visitors' seven-game unbeaten streak in the La Liga football championship.

The Andalusian squad Betis on Saturday was in command throughout against its Catalan rival Espanyol, which at no time looked like complicating the home team's life, reports Efe.

From the start, it had to be seen which of the two could better adapt to the pitch, which was soggy from the falling rain.

Betis coach Quique Setien returned to the combination of three midfielders with two forward wingers, a formation that enabled his squad to apply defensive resistance while also looking for a direct attack at goal.

Quique Sanchez Flores-coached Espanyol sought to move their lines forward, though they were drawn back by their rival's moves. And so the home team began to prowl around goalkeeper Pau Lopez, who was reported in recent weeks as reaching an agreement with Betis for next season.

The local squad ventured more and was rewarded in the 34th minute with a successful header by Junior Firpo that keeper Pau Lopez unaccountably let go by him.

Betis kept maneuvering around the goal of an Espanyol that never possessed the ball for very long and never threatened rival goalkeepter Antonio Adan.

In the second half, midfielder Ryad Boudebouz got this local control reflected on the scoreboard once more and with a precise low cross shot made it 2-0 at minute 56.

It was from then that Espanyol woke up and applied pressure for the first time in the game, but never with enough power to bother an adversary whose striker Francis Guerrero struck at minute 69 to make the score 3-0.

The winner was already decided and all that remained to be seen was whether Betis would win by an even wider margin, or if Espanyol could make its defeat a little less embarassing, but neither occurred.

Following the win, Betis remained eighth with 43 points, while Espanyol were stranded at the 13th spot with 35 points.