In the 38th minute, Isco Alarcón scored the only goal of the match at El Alcoraz with a brilliant strike with the outside of his right foot.
Real Betis Balompié began 2025 with a trip to Huesca at the El Alcoraz stadium for the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. Chimy Ávila, a former Huesca player now with the verdiblancos, was not in the group but received a warm welcome when Agustín Lasaosa, president of the local club, presented him with a vintage photo frame commemorating his two seasons at Huesca since his arrival in Spain.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini fielded an almost full squad, with Giovani Lo Celso and Isco Alarcón joining forces, and Ricardo Rodríguez the only change to provide another opportunity.
Aided by Johnny Cardoso and a dynamic Abde, Isco took control of the midfield from the start against Antonio Hidalgo’s side, playing in front of the Argentine, who played as a third central midfielder. Betis started brightly, determined to take control of the match with two star players orchestrating their attacking play.
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However, the intensity of the Santiago native’s influence diminished after the first ten minutes, and there was a tepid attempt from Joaquín Muñoz, whose shot was easily collected by Fran Vieites.
All of Betis’ constructive moves revolved around Isco, serving as a conduit for counter-attacks, but the team struggled to be consistent, allowing Huesca to gain confidence and push forward, particularly on the left flank where Ricardo Rodríguez was once again overtaken, showing a disappointing level of performance.
The verdiblancos woke up with a golden opportunity for Giovani Lo Celso, who shot from outside the area, but his effort hit the crossbar. He then tried again from the same position but shot just over the bar.
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From Lo Celso’s failed attempt to Isco Alarcón’s spectacular goal, a true work of art from the Malaga-born midfielder. Positioned slightly closer to goal than the Argentine, Isco conjured a stunning shot with the outside of his right foot, leaving everyone in shock.
He could have doubled the lead shortly after with another shot from outside the area, this time more off-centre, but again found the woodwork. The rebound fell to Vitor Roque with the goal within his reach, but the Brazilian wasted the opportunity, sending the ball over.
-The missed opportunity woke up Huesca, who began to assert themselves and almost equalized before halftime. Rubén Pulido took a corner at the far post, and Diego Llorente, a rock in the Betis defense, first countered on the line, then, in a similar situation, sent his attempt at goal wide. Villarrasa also came close to scoring from distance.
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After the break, Manuel Pellegrini made a tactical change, replacing Sergi Altimira with Chimy Ávila, which allowed Giovani Lo Celso to drop back alongside Johnny Cardoso, while the Argentine striker took Altimira’s place from first half-time.
With the score in their favor, Betis slowed the pace of the game, maintaining longer possessions with few threats on goal until just before the 60th minute when Isco found the net again. On a sideways free kick, Natan deflected it, and Vitor Roque chased the ball unsuccessfully, committing a foul in the process that prevented Isco’s follow-up from counting.
Encouraged, the verdiblancos pushed for a second goal, especially after a powerful long shot from Diego González. All the attackers—Abde, Chimy, Gio, and Isco—repeatedly looked for Vitor Roque in hopes of redeeming him from his previous miss. The Brazilian generated a chance for himself with a brilliant solo effort, but his shot went just wide of the goal. Diego Llorente also had a corner chance to make the break.
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In the final minutes, Antonio Hidalgo’s Huesca side put everything they had in search of the equalizer to force extra time, but Betis’ defense remained resolute, attempting to prolong their possession to disrupt the rhythm of Huesca.
Fear gripped Betis in the 85th minute when Huesca saw a goal ruled out for a clear offside against Sergi Enrich. However, the game was not well defended by Natan and Ricardo.
As Huesca piled on the pressure, Pellegrini’s side found themselves defending in their area during injury time, and a late Huesca free kick was flagged offside, negating Soko’s acrobatic equalizer.
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