SEVILLE – Real Betis winger Antony struck a late equaliser to hold Nottingham Forest to a 2-2 draw in the Europa League on Thursday, denying the English side victory on their long-awaited return to European competition.
It was Forest’s first continental fixture since losing to Bayern Munich in the 1996 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, but Ange Postecoglou’s men fell behind early at La Cartuja when Cédric Bakambu turned in Antony’s pass after 14 minutes.
The visitors responded swiftly as Igor Jesus struck twice in five minutes to flip the game before half-time. The Brazilian tapped home from Morgan Gibbs-White’s cut-back and then rose highest to head in Douglas Luiz’s corner, taking his tally to four goals this season. Callum Hudson-Odoi almost added a third but saw his close-range strike rebound off the post.
Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini introduced Ricardo Rodriguez, Rodrigo Riquelme and Marc Roca at the break to shift momentum, and the hosts controlled possession for much of the second half. Their pressure was finally rewarded five minutes from time when Antony met Roca’s cross and drilled a low shot across goal for the leveller.
The result leaves Postecoglou still searching for his first win as Forest manager after four games in charge, while Betis stretched their strong start to the season to just one defeat in seven outings.
