Betis strikes twice in nine minutes to sink bottom club Malaga at La Cartuja

Marc Bartra headed home right at the end of the first half to lay the groundwork for a comfortable afternoon for Real Betis, who went on to beat Malaga 2-1 at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville in LaLiga play. The second goal arrived almost as soon as the second half kicked off, barely giving Malaga time to sit back down on the bench, and although the visitors pulled one back later on, they were never close to completing a comeback.

Betis dominated from the opening whistle. Isco pulled the strings through the middle and generated constant danger, with Rodrigo Riquelme trying his luck on several occasions without finding the target in the early going. The reward came in the 37th minute: after a free kick was taken, Isco whipped a cross into the box and Bartra rose in the middle to head it low into the net by the left post, making it 1-0.

The psychological blow for Malaga was immediate, but far worse was what came just after the restart. In the 46th minute, again from a dead ball, Pablo Fornals curled a right-footed strike from outside the box that snuck in by the left post for 2-0. Two goals in a span of barely nine minutes of game time, one at the close of the first half and another at the start of the second, left the match all but decided before Malaga could even respond.

The visitors didn't give up and found their reward in the 67th minute, when Adrian Nino finished with his left foot from the center of the box to make it 2-1. It was their best moment of the match, with a bit more attacking boldness, but Betis managed the lead without too much trouble. Abde Ezzalzouli rattled the crossbar late on, one more chance for the home side to extend the margin that didn't go in.

What the numbers say

Betis's superiority was clear in the match stats: they dominated possession, had far more shots than their opponent and were much sharper down the flanks, piling up corner kicks.

According to our own xG estimate calculated from the shots taken in the match, Betis generated 2.053 expected goals to Malaga's 1.324, a gap that confirms what was seen on the field: more and better chances for the Seville side, though the visitors had enough to at least soften the final score.

The result ended up lining up fairly well with our preview projection, which gave Real Betis a 67% chance of winning, a 20% chance of a draw and just 13% for a Malaga win, with expected goals of 2.29 for the home side and 0.92 for the visitors. The final score, 2-1, followed that same line: Betis won with authority, though Malaga scored one more goal than that projection anticipated.

What it means in the standings

With this result, Real Betis stays in fourth place with 23 points, 18 behind the leader. Malaga, meanwhile, remains last with just 5 points and still without a single win this season, a stat that explains why every goal they score, like Nino's in this match, counts for so little against what they need to turn around in the table.

For Betis, the combination of set pieces (the first goal came from a free kick, and so did the second) and the quality of Isco and Fornals in the buildup made the difference. For Malaga, Nino's goal is a small consolation, but it doesn't change the reality of the table: they're still unable to lift their heads in LaLiga.