Rodrigo Riquelme scored the only goal of the match as Real Betis secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad on Friday, giving Manuel Pellegrini’s side a perfect start to the new Primera Division campaign.
The winger’s clinical finish early in the second half settled an evenly contested encounter at the Estadio de la Cartuja, where Betis combined patience in possession with resilient defending to claim all three points on matchday two.
The decisive moment arrived after Antony sparked a swift attacking move with a clever pass into Cucho Hernandez on the edge of the penalty area. The Colombian responded with a delicate lofted delivery into the box, and Riquelme timed his run perfectly before calmly converting beyond the goalkeeper.
Riquelme’s composed finish proved enough to separate the sides and continued his impressive start in green and white, with the summer arrival emerging as the match winner once again.
Betis also celebrated another notable milestone as Fran Garcia made his competitive debut for the Verdiblancos. The home supporters then rose to their feet in the 58th minute to welcome Isco Alarcon from the bench, with the midfielder receiving a rousing ovation on his return to action.
Real Sociedad pushed relentlessly for an equaliser during the closing stages but were repeatedly denied by fine margins and inspired goalkeeping.
Luka Sucic came within inches of levelling the score when he met Mikel Oyarzabal’s knock-down, only to see his powerful effort crash against the woodwork. Moments later, Alvaro Valles preserved Betis’ lead with a superb one-on-one save to deny Orri Oskarsson, producing the defining defensive moment of the evening.
The victory leaves Pellegrini’s team with maximum points from their opening two league matches, while Real Sociedad depart Seville wondering how they failed to convert their late pressure into a deserved equaliser.
