It's been interesting to see how little post-match hand-wringing there's been since midnight on Thursday. Perhaps without a referee to take our frustrations out on (for once), it seems this time we have to admit we only have ourselves to blame. Whether Betis were "cowardly" as one journalist has put it, or "so anxious to do well that they went out there mentally 'blocked'", which is how Gaby Calderón explained their ultra-tentative first half, they handed the initiative to Sevilla from the outset and never quite got it back. (Although, as several commentators have observed, Betis were never behind in the tie until Rakitic slotted home Sevilla's fifth penalty...)
One player who seems, thankfully, to have escaped too much personal criticism is Nono, who immediately after the game tweeted: "Sincerely one of the saddest days of my life; I want to say sorry to the Betis fans. And if one day I have the same chance to take a penalty...I'll take it again!" And later: "Many thanks to the Betis family for the messages of support. We'll just have to bounce back!" I know he got some stick in the comments here for his erratic performance overall, but it seemed to me he was playing like most young players do: with plenty of good things in there, but lots of mistakes, too. Considering he was out of position on the wide right for most of the game, he didn't do so badly - and actually his penalty wasn't so terrible, either. He didn't miss, as I thought at first; he sent it right towards the corner (albeit not hard enough) and Beto made a very good save.
And the players were clearly moved by the support they received on the night. Cedrick posted a clip on Instagram yesterday, saying: "I never imagined I would experience something like this in my life. Thank you team-mates, thank you Betis and most of all, thank you to the great fans. I feel happy to be part of this great family. We'll fight till the end." There have certainly been no suggestions that the men in green and white didn't do all the could to win and they'll be warmly welcomed on to the pitch once again tomorrow (poor chaps); the only mild criticism has been for Jorge Molina, who most people feel should have stepped up to take one of the penalties.
But enough of the game itself; time to relive some of the pre-match goings-on, which were simply extraordinary. These two videos, for example, show the team leaving their hotel and arriving at the stadium (a journey of about half a mile). As I always say, if I was on that green bus I think I'd just feel crushed by the weight of responsibility, but I guess that's why I'm not a professional footballer. (That and being 46 and not being able to quick a ball straight over 10 yards. Insert your own Joan Verdú joke here.)
Ambiente previo al 'euroderbi' en los alrededores del Villamarín - YouTube
Betis - Sevilla Recibimiento - YouTube
Prederbi - YouTube
Entrada al Betis-Sevilla 20-03-2014 - YouTube
Niño reza por el Real Betis | Real Betis 0-2 Sevilla Europa League 2014 - YouTube
One player who seems, thankfully, to have escaped too much personal criticism is Nono, who immediately after the game tweeted: "Sincerely one of the saddest days of my life; I want to say sorry to the Betis fans. And if one day I have the same chance to take a penalty...I'll take it again!" And later: "Many thanks to the Betis family for the messages of support. We'll just have to bounce back!" I know he got some stick in the comments here for his erratic performance overall, but it seemed to me he was playing like most young players do: with plenty of good things in there, but lots of mistakes, too. Considering he was out of position on the wide right for most of the game, he didn't do so badly - and actually his penalty wasn't so terrible, either. He didn't miss, as I thought at first; he sent it right towards the corner (albeit not hard enough) and Beto made a very good save.
And the players were clearly moved by the support they received on the night. Cedrick posted a clip on Instagram yesterday, saying: "I never imagined I would experience something like this in my life. Thank you team-mates, thank you Betis and most of all, thank you to the great fans. I feel happy to be part of this great family. We'll fight till the end." There have certainly been no suggestions that the men in green and white didn't do all the could to win and they'll be warmly welcomed on to the pitch once again tomorrow (poor chaps); the only mild criticism has been for Jorge Molina, who most people feel should have stepped up to take one of the penalties.
But enough of the game itself; time to relive some of the pre-match goings-on, which were simply extraordinary. These two videos, for example, show the team leaving their hotel and arriving at the stadium (a journey of about half a mile). As I always say, if I was on that green bus I think I'd just feel crushed by the weight of responsibility, but I guess that's why I'm not a professional footballer. (That and being 46 and not being able to quick a ball straight over 10 yards. Insert your own Joan Verdú joke here.)
Ambiente previo al 'euroderbi' en los alrededores del Villamarín - YouTube
Betis - Sevilla Recibimiento - YouTube
Prederbi - YouTube
Entrada al Betis-Sevilla 20-03-2014 - YouTube
Niño reza por el Real Betis | Real Betis 0-2 Sevilla Europa League 2014 - YouTube