From worry to hope. From gross errors to an improvement that responds more to the level of a Betis still in training and that, pese a ser inferior al Manchester Unitedclearly evident in numerous phases of the match, He came close to equalising in the final stretch with the emergence of Fekirwho took over from Rodri and Iker Losada as the main characters.
And it is that The Verdiblancos had a disastrous first halfwithout drive or ideas and with an alarming fragility in containmentand then, after the changes, react, close the gap and have the chance to return to Spain with a draw against the Red Devilsalthough the match ended 3-2 with very mixed feelings.
So there are two weeks left until the start of the league and It was noticeable in Manuel Pellegrini’s starting eleven against the Red Devilsalready far from the hybrid tests, with hardly any presence of the youth players who went to the United States beyond Mendy and without any of the discards as occurred in the previous clashes. In this way, Pellegrini started with a more recognizable eleven, with all the signings in contention except for Adrián San Miguelbut surprised with the disposition at the forefront.
Thus, in a starting eleven with the novelty of Marc Roca, already recovered from his discomfort and who made his debut in this preseason after signing his new contract with the Heliopolitans, The Chilean coach placed Aitor Ruibal as the most advanced manescorted by Iker Losada and flanked on the right by Rodri and on the left by Chimy Ávila, making it clear that he currently lacks a reference up front.
With these pieces, Manchester United quickly took control of the game against a Betis side that was outclassed in midfield and had considerable gaps in defence.. Thus, in the fifth minute, the English gave notice, with a goal disallowed by Jadon Sancho for offside, to which Betis responded with two isolated bursts, always with an active Rodri as a taker, converting one of them into 0-1 thanks to an action by the youth player and a gross error by the goalkeeper Heaton. Iker Losada made his debut as a Betis goal scorer after a pass from the player from Talayuela.
The equaliser came immediately through a controversial penalty for an alleged grab by Perraud on Rashford that did not exist. and which the forward himself transformed. Although the Verdiblancos did not actually break down, Manchester United increased their dominance and Pellegrini’s men began to make significant mistakesespecially in defense, which It resulted in 2-1 after a mistake by Bellerín and then Mendy with an unstoppable finish from Diallo.
Betis was on the ropes and Defensive drama helped Manchester United’s thirdfrom a corner kick in which Rashford touched the ball at will and Casemiro finished unmarked. The inaccuracies both at the back and in midfield were repeated over and over again and Manchester could have gone into the break with a greater advantage due to their superiority. and the lack of response from Betis, in which only Rodri and Iker Losada gave signs of life.
Pellegrini introduced two changes after the break with the entries by Fran Vieites and Johnny Cardoso and Betis’ start was promising with two consecutive chances, always with Rodri’s left flank as the origin. Thus, Aitor Ruibal headed a corner from a clear position and Iker Losada, always in the right place, tried again with a shot wide. This reaction did not prevent Manchester from continuing to cause concern about their ease in breaking the green and white lines, to the point that Altimira committed a penalty on Rashford that the referee did not signal, but which he did It resulted in Diego Llorente’s first goal as a Betis player, with a header after an excellent service from Rodri.
Immediately afterwards, Manchester United changed almost the entire team and Betis, although still suffering on the left, was able to take a breather at the back while generate some danger aboveas in the action carried out by Chimy Ávila, who saw Iker Losada coming and put him in a clear position, although the attacking midfielder shot high.
Pellegrini intensified the carousel of substitutions and the match opened with alternatives, with arrivals in both areas, although the score did not change and the second consecutive defeat was consummated for a Betis condemned by its errors and fragility in the first half. The reaction came late, sponsored by the changes of a Manchester United one step above and driven by a vindictive Fekirbut there is still time to correct errors and strengthen the squad, which still has obvious shortcomings.
Datasheet:
Manchester United: Heaton; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Amass; Casemiro, Eriksen, McTominay; Amad, Rashford and Jadon Sancho. Also playing were Scanlon, Fish, Evans, Murray, Oyedele, Collyer, Antony, Mount, Hannibal, Wheatly and Mather.
Betis: Rui Silva; Bellerín, Diego Llorente, Mendy, Perraud; Altimira, Marc Roca; Rodri, Iker Losada, Aitor Ruibal; and Chimy Ávila. Also playing were Fran Vieites, Johnny Cardoso, Fekir, Juanmi, Bartra, Sabaly, William Carvalho, Pablo García, Fornals, Lucas Alcázar and Mateo.
Goals: 0-1 (15′) Iker Losada; 1-1 (18′) Rashford, the penalty; 2-1 (24′) Amad Diallo; 3-1 (31’) Casemiro: 3-2 (61′) Diego Llorente.
Referee: Alexis Da Silva. He gave amnesty to Johnny Cardoso and Hannibal.
incidences: Match played at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego before some 28,000 spectators.
