Real Betis booked their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 with a 2-1 victory over already-eliminated Feyenoord at the Estadio de la Cartuja.
Having already secured progression from the League Phase, Betis entered Thursday night’s contest under little pressure.
The burden instead rested on Robin van Persie’s Feyenoord, who needed a win in Seville and favourable results elsewhere, to sneak into the top 24.
The Dutch side were further hampered by injuries, forcing youngsters Thijs Kraaijeveld and Oussama Targhalline to pair up in central defence. Aymen Sliti was deployed in midfield, while Canadian striker Cyle Larin was surprisingly used in the No.10 role.
Larin was handed a golden opportunity to open the scoring early on when Gonçalo Borges delivered a pinpoint cross, leaving him unmarked in the box.
However, the former Beşiktaş forward failed to bring the ball under control and the chance slipped away.
Betis soon thought they had taken the lead, only for referee Nikola Dabanović to rule out the effort for a foul in the build-up.
The home side were not to be denied for long, though, as former Manchester United winger Antony latched onto a loose ball and curled a superb strike into the top corner before the 20-minute mark.
Feyenoord’s frustrations deepened moments later when Larin squandered another clear opening, missing a one-on-one with Pau López.
Betis punished the miss almost immediately, with Antony again the provider as his inviting cross was headed home by Abde Ezzalzouli to make it 2-0 after 32 minutes.
Larin’s difficult night continued after the break. The Canadian forward wasted three more chances, a header, a shot across goal and another one-on-one, as Feyenoord failed to reduce the deficit heading into the final 20 minutes.
The visitors finally found hope late on when Shaqueel van Persie released Casper Tengstedt. After being denied by Pau López at the first attempt, the striker showed composure to lob the goalkeeper on the rebound and pull one back for Feyenoord.
Any hopes of a dramatic comeback were quickly dashed. With all substitutions used, Feyenoord were reduced to ten men when Shaqueel van Persie landed awkwardly and was stretchered off with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.
Betis comfortably saw out the closing stages to seal the win, confirming a fourth-place finish on 17 points and bringing Feyenoord’s European journey to an end.
