Real Betis welcomed Lyon to the Estadio Benito Villamarin for their opening match of the Europa League campaign this evening.
The match did not quite live up to expectations, with a poor pitch among a host of contributing factors to disjointed passing and laboured attacking.
In the end, both managers willl be content with a point from their first match of Group I, but will also know that improvements are needed.
You can read how the action in Andalusia unfolded below.
Good evening! Welcome to Sports Mole for live text commentary of tonight's Europa League encounter between Real Betis and Lyon. Remi Garde's men will be looking to redeem themselves against Spanish opposition having been dumped out of the Champions League by Real Sociedad, while the hosts are looking for a fourth successive home win against French opponents.
BETIS XI: Andersen, Didac Vila, Perquis, Steinhofer, Jordi, Vadilio, Verdu, Nosa, Reyes, Cedric, Chuli
LYON XI: Lopes, Bedimo, Kone, Umtiti, Dabo, Ferri, Gonalons, Grenier, Lacazette, Gomis, Briand
Remi Garde hands a rare start to Jimmy Briand, who along with Alexandre Lacazette will start either side of Bafetimbi Gomis in attack. Maxime Gonalons and Clement Grenier are named in midfield with 21-year-old Jordan Ferri, who makes his fourth appearance in the competition. No surprises at the back for Les Gones, with Henri Bedimo, Samuel Umtiti, Mouhamadou Dabo and Bakary Kone forming the back four.
Pepe Mel has taken the opportunity to rotate his squad this evening. Damien Perquis returns the the hosts' defence alongside Markus Steinhofer, Didac Vila, Jordi and Chica. Chuli gets a go up front, while Salvo Sevilla and Juanfran are left on the bench.
Lyon's record against Spanish teams isn't the greatest. In 24 matches, they have won seven, drawn six and lost 11. Although they are yet to lose a Europa League group stage game on their travels.
Betis' have won 18, drawn one and lost just five home games in Europe, making the Estadio Benito Villamarin a tough place to come for teams from the continent. They recorded their first win of the season by beating Valencia 3-1 at home on Sunday evening.
The players are out on the pitch in Seville and we're about to get underway. Betis are in their traditional Verdiblanco (green and white) and Lyon in a changed strip of navy blue.
KICKOFF! Lyon get the game underway...
Steinhofer barges Bedimo over on the left byline and Grenier will have the first opportunity to put the ball into the box, but his delivery is cleared. Umtiti picks up possession and has a go from outside the box but his effort is well off target.
Good start from the French team, they look to have settled quickly.
Great work from Gomis tracking back to hassle and win back possession in midfield. Lyon look very sharp tonight, and attack down the left once more with Bedimo. His cross makes its way to the back post where Lacazette is arriving but he can't quite get hold of the volley.
CHANCE! Betis yet to show any sort of cohesion in their play, but the first real chance falls to them. It was Cedric who delivered from the left into the feet of Chuli, but he couldn't get the ball from underneath his feet and scooped well over the bar.
SHOT! Jordi fells Grenier and the referee awards a free kick. Lyon get plenty of men forward but Grenier instead takes the opportunity to shoot at goal instead of delivering into the box. He strikes it well but Andersen watches it over the bar without ever really looking in trouble.
Betis are committing a lot of clumsy fouls in dangerous positions early on here. Could be an effect of a lack of collective game time so far this season, they're just slightly off the pace.
After the first 20 minutes it's Lyon who have made the better start but Betis are starting to string a few passes together. The pitch is a bit of a state, though. Lumps are coming up with every tackle and the ball is bobbling quite a bit. Not a good sign this early in the season.
Steinhofer commits another foul, this time on Kone, in his own half. Grenier whips it in and the ball falls kindly for Lacazette, who finds Briand at the back stick. The Frenchman tries an acrobatic effort that completely misses the target, allowing Betis to break at speed, however Kone is back covering.
BOOKING! Steinhofer picks up a yellow card for a foul on Grenier. He looks a yard too slow tonight.
BOOKING! Both teams are struggling to find any sort of rhythm at the moment. The pitch isn't helping. Gonalons is the next man into the book for a foul on Vadillo. The delivery into the box is poor though.
BOOKING! Dabo is penalised for a high tackle on Steinhofer. He was going for the ball but caught the man about waist high. Not malicious, just potentially dangerous.
The referee's early leniency seems to have ended now. Neither of the three men booked can have much to complain about really.
CHANCE! Brilliant build-up play from Betis! Verdu, Cedric and Nosa all involved as they breeze through Lyon's statuesque defence. Nosa opted to square the ball for Chuli to tap in instead of having a go himself, but a vital last-ditch block from Bedimo prevents him from opening the scoring. Finally, a bit of quality in the final third!
CHANCE! The home side are really coming on strong in the final few minutes of the first half! Suicidal defending from Kone, as he dwells on the ball instead of clearing the danger, which allows Cedric to pick his pockets and play a one-two with Chuli, but young goalkeeper Anthony Lopes saves with his legs to keep his sheet clean.
HALF TIME: Real Betis 0-0 Lyon
Well, after 40 minutes of disjointed passing and clumsy fouls, the home side really found their stride before the half-time whistle, which probably came at the ideal time for Remi Garde's men. It was they who made the better start but they struggled to get forward after the first 20 minutes or so.
BETIS STATS:
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 45%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 9
Yellow: 1
Red: 0
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 45%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 9
Yellow: 1
Red: 0
LYON STATS:
Shots: 4
On target: 1
Possession: 55%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 6
Yellow: 2
Red: 0
Shots: 4
On target: 1
Possession: 55%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 6
Yellow: 2
Red: 0
SELECTED EUROPA LEAGUE SCORES:
Frankfurt 3-0 Bordeaux (FT)
Fiorentina 3-0 Pacos de Ferreira (FT)
Valencia 0-3 Swansea (FT)
Zulte 0-0 Wigan (FT)
Estoril 0-0 Sevilla
Freiburg 2-0 Slovan Liberec
Lazio 0-0 Legia
Spurs 2-0 Tromso
Frankfurt 3-0 Bordeaux (FT)
Fiorentina 3-0 Pacos de Ferreira (FT)
Valencia 0-3 Swansea (FT)
Zulte 0-0 Wigan (FT)
Estoril 0-0 Sevilla
Freiburg 2-0 Slovan Liberec
Lazio 0-0 Legia
Spurs 2-0 Tromso
So we're just moments from kickoff in the second half at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, will the game get any better? Let's hope, quality has been in scant supply so far but it's the Spanish side that have had the better of the opportunities.
Betis get the second half underway. No changes for either side at half time.
BOOKING! Grenier joins his teammates Gonalons and Dabo in the book for a foul on Reyes.
Lyon look laboured going forward, there's absolutely no urgency. Lacazette got the ball in a forward position and instead of having a run at his man he stops, slows the attack down and then tries a cross-field ball to Briand, who heads well wide from the edge of the box. No imagination.
Looks like Pepe Mel has instructed Juanfran to ready himself for action. A welcome attacking addition to this game.
SHOT! Chuli shows good footwork to baffle the Lyon defenders, who seem frightened to make a challenge on the edge of the box. The striker eventually works a shooting opportunity but Lopes is behind it.
BETIS SUB: It's Vadillo who makes way for Juanfran. Can his introduction make a difference for the hosts?
Nearly an opportunity there for Grenier, as Lyon try to pick the Betis lock. Gomis came wide to link up with Briand, but the ball through to Grenier, who was a caught on his heels a bit, didn't quite come off.
BOOKING! Jordi becomes the fifth man to see yellow for a foul on Gomis. Grenier will get another chance to provide a telling cross.
CHANCE! A quality delivery from Grenier finds Briand but Perquis gets a block in! That should have been the breakthrough for the visitors!
BETIS SUB: Pepe Mel makes his second change of the evening, and it's Sunday's two-goal hero Salva Sevilla who comes on to replace Verdu.
LYON SUB: Bafetimbi Gomis makes way for Nabil Fekir. Lacazette has now taken up a central role.
Briand has dropped deeper to form a five-man midfield, leaving just the pacy Lacazette up front on his own. It looks like Garde is going to try and play on the counter now.
CHANCE! Nose drives into the box and lifts the ball over Lopes from a tight angle but his effort brushes the outside of the post.
Dabo is on the deck and will need treatment from the physio. It was a 50/50 with Cedric, it looks like their knees clashed. Nothing he can't run off.
Fekir has already looked far more direct in the wide position than what Lacazette did when he was operating on the wing.
BETIS SUB: Mel's final change of the evening sees Amaya come on for Damien Perquis.
LYON SUB: Garde is also going to make a change and it's Mouhamadou Dabo coming off for Gueida Fofana. His first contribution is to give the ball away.
CLAIMS FOR A PENALTY! Sevilla rolls a disguised through ball into Chuli, who goes down after trying to roll his marker. The striker protests vehemently for a penalty but the referee wasn't interest. Replays show that it would have been a soft one. Good decision.
CHANCE! Much like the first half, it's Betis who are finishing the stronger. However, Lyon are looking dangerous on the counter, with Lacazette being the driving force. He's outnumbered four to one, but he manages to open up a shooting opportunity. Andersen is there to make the save, although the forward didn't quite get hold of the shot.
CHANCE! Cedric bursts Umtiti and has a pop at goal but it's straight at Lopes, who beats the ball away with both hands.
Betis surge forward and Sevilla threads a lovely ball through to Juanfran in a promising position, but his first touch is heavier than mercury. Lopes watches it behind for a goal kick and the attacker hangs his head despondently.
LYON SUB: Arnold Mvuemba comes on to replace Clement Grenier, who has shown flashes of his quality but nothing that has really caught the eye.
Four minutes of injury time to be played at the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Can someone find a winner? Betis looking the more likely but a draw would be the fair result now. Football isn't fair, though.
Umtiti is on the floor writhing in agony. His foot got caught in the turf, they're often the most dangerous injuries. The pitch really hasn't helped this evening.
FULL TIME: Real Betis 0-0 Lyon
So that's that. Both teams avoid defeat and will ultimately be content with a point - Lyon more than Betis, obviously. Neither side really shone and will need to make big improvements in their next games.
BETIS STATS:
Shots: 10
On target: 5
Possession: 53%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 16
Yellow: 2
Red: 0
Shots: 10
On target: 5
Possession: 53%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 16
Yellow: 2
Red: 0
LYON STATS:
Shots: 11
On target: 3
Possession: 47%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11
Yellow: 3
Red: 0
Shots: 11
On target: 3
Possession: 47%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11
Yellow: 3
Red: 0
So that brings an end to our coverage on Sports Mole for this evening - thanks for joining us. We have live NFL coverage from 1am as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles and tomorrow we'll be covering Saint-Etienne vs. Toulouse and Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Eintracht Braunschweig. Then on Saturday there's a full round of Premier League fixtures, as well as action from the Championship. So come back soon!
