Real Betis struck twice in quick succession to claim a 2-0 win over Lyon in the UEFA Europa League, extending their impressive European run to just one defeat in their last 11 outings.
Lyon, led by Tanner Tessmann, began brightly at the Estadio La Cartuja, dominating early possession but nearly paid for a defensive lapse when Cédric Bakambu closed down the American midfielder near his own box.
Khalis Merah fired wide soon after, as both teams displayed fluid play but failed to produce any real threat in the opening exchanges.
Betis’ first effort, a weak attempt from Antony, summed up the early lack of conviction.
That soon changed around the 30-minute mark when the hosts broke the deadlock. After Abde Ezzalzouli’s initial shot was parried behind, he reacted quickest to Bakambu’s flick-on from the corner to slot home the opener.
The goal energized Betis, and just minutes later Antony doubled the advantage, timing his run perfectly to lift Marc Roca’s clever free-kick over Lyon goalkeeper Dominik Greif.
Lyon’s only real response before halftime came through long-range efforts from Tessmann and Enzo Molebe.
Manager Paulo Fonseca introduced fresh legs at the interval, with Merah nearly reducing the deficit shortly after the restart. Lyon’s attacking intent grew, but Betis’ disciplined backline stood firm.
Mathys De Carvalho tried his luck from distance, only for goalkeeper Rui Silva to handle it comfortably.
At the other end, Betis continued to threaten, with Greif forced into action again to stop Bakambu and Abde from adding a third.
Lyon pushed forward late on, but wayward attempts from Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nicolas Tagliafico underlined their frustration.
Tyler Morton’s speculative effort that drifted wide summed up the visitors’ evening, as Betis comfortably saw out the victory.
The result marked the Spanish side’s third straight win across all competitions, each in a different tournament, while ending Lyon’s perfect Europa League start and deepening their current slump to three games without a win.
