Betis's LaLiga World love affair continues in Switzerland

First they took Dresden, and now they have taken Lucerne. Real Betis's 100% record in LaLiga World outings remains intact after Gustavo Poyet's men prevailed 1-0 against Qatar in Switzerland thanks to a solitary second-half strike from Petros. 

With the big LaLiga Santander kick-off fast approaching, all the clubs are wrapping up their preparations and Betis continued theirs with another taste of LaLiga World. After training in the morning, in a session that included speed and reaction drills as well as a small-sided match, the Andalusians set off for Lucerne to take on the Qatari national team at the Swissporarena. 

Dozens of Betis fans were on hand to give their side a rousing welcome as they arrived at the stadium. "My love for Betis goes back to when I was a kid. It's a family thing, it's in our blood," said one supporter who was particularly thrilled by the prospect of watching his beloved club in action so far away from Seville. 

It proved a keenly and evenly contested encounter between two teams gearing up for important competitive assignments in the near future. While Betis were warming up for a meeting with none other than champions FC Barcelona on the opening matchday of the LaLiga Santander season, Qatar have their sights firmly set on the resumption of 2018 World Cup qualifying. The only goal came after the break, when Petros seized on a loose ball after Charly Musonda's attempt had been saved. The Brazilian full-back made no mistake on the follow-up to hand the Andalusians victory. 

"You're always happy when you win. It was a match in which we showed good intensity in patches and put together some good moves, but it's a shame we weren't able to get more goals," reflected Betis boss Poyet. The result made it three wins from three LaLiga World fixtures for the club: "These trips stand us in good stead, they're great bonding exercises and give me the chance to talk to the players at length. These games in Europe are a fantastic way of preparing for the beginning of the LaLiga campaign," the Uruguayan coach added. 

Having returned to winning ways following a couple of setbacks in non-LaLiga World action, Betis will bid to close out their pre-season programme on a high in their last tune-up game, a friendly against RB Leipzig.

 

 

 

 

Although the team as a whole have clearly savoured their involvement in LaLiga World, judging by their results, there is one man who has particularly risen to the occasion: starlet Dani Ceballos, a graduate of the club's academy. Having been recognised as the outstanding performer of the encounter against SV Werder Bremen earlier in the summer, the number 10 was named the Man of the Match again in Lucerne and was presented with the accolade by LaLiga's corporate brand activation director, Cristina Sanchez. "It's always nice to get to know new cultures and here's hoping we can do it again next year – that would be a good sign," Ceballos enthused after the game.