A day after over 20,000 fans attended Betis’ opening training session at La Cartuja, tens of thousands more descended on the club’s temporary stadium in the hope of derby day glory.
The Betis faithful had to wait just 16 minutes to witness their hero, Antony, conjure up a strike that reflected the magnitude of El Gran Derbi.
Ez Abde created the opening with a purposeful run into the box and along the byline, before he laid it off for Cucho Hernandez to shoot from close range.
Cucho’s effort may have been blocked, but there was nothing Sevilla could do to prevent the inspired Antony from powering home an audacious bicycle kick via the rebound.
Antony’s seventh league goal of the season was followed by a more even period of play - but that was all too fleeting, as the hosts put together an incisive move to double their lead just before half-time.
Once again, Abde was at the heart of the move, playing a perfectly-weighted ball to pick out the run of Alvaro Fidalgo, who flicked the ball home with the outside of his boot, for his first goal since arriving from Club America in the winter window.
Trailing by two goals at half-time of a LaLiga derby for the first time this century, Sevilla made a purposeful start to the second period and were rewarded with an Alexis Sanchez goal just past the hour mark.
The veteran forward made a darting run to meet Oso’s whipped cross and send a diving header out of Alvaro Valles’s reach, offering renewed belief for the pocket of away support in La Cartuja.
And those same fans who resisted the urge to leave at half-time had an equaliser to celebrate in the 85th minute, when Isaac Romero drove a loose ball into the bottom corner after Betis failed to clear their lines from a free-kick.
Betis were suitably rocked, and Akor Adams almost won it at the very end, only for his effort on the angle to be blocked off the line.
As a result of Romero’s first league goal since October, Sevilla have moved up to 11th spot, while Manuel Pellegrini’s side remain in fifth, as well as eight points adrift of the top four.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antony (Betis)
