Real Betis 1-0 Feyenoord: Isco penalty keeps Betis perfect in Europe

Real Betis beat Feyenoord 1-0 on October 21, 2026, at Estadio de la Cartuja, and the table now says exactly what the performance suggested: M. Pellegrini’s side are serious in this UEFA Champions League league phase.

Three games, three wins, nine points. Betis sit fifth, level on points with Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Real Madrid. Feyenoord, coached by R. van Persie, are 26th with three points and little margin for error in their next league-phase assignment.

The match was decided in the 59th minute. Isco scored from the penalty spot, the only goal of a game Betis controlled in chances even without controlling possession.

Feyenoord had 53% possession and 572 passes. Betis had the danger: 23 shots, 10 on goal and 2.17 expected goals. T. Ernst kept Feyenoord in it with nine saves. Without him, this would not have stayed narrow.

Match in brief

Betis began in M. Pellegrini’s 4-2-3-1, with Isco operating behind T. Parrott and A. Ezzalzouli stretching the left. Feyenoord set up in R. van Persie’s 4-3-3, looking to use the midfield three of G. Zechiël, C. Vanhoutte and O. Targhalline to keep the ball and slow the rhythm.

That part worked, up to a point. Feyenoord circulated possession well enough, but too often it stayed harmless. Betis accepted the trade. They had less of the ball, but the better entries, the cleaner shots and the more direct route to chances.

Mika Màrmol was booked in the 14th minute for a foul, an early sign that Betis were getting runners into awkward areas. Charles Vanhoutte followed with a yellow card in the 52nd minute, also for a foul, as Feyenoord’s midfield began to lose control of the spaces around Isco and Marc Roca.

Then came the decisive moment. Isco scored a penalty in the 59th minute. No fuss, no theatre, just a senior figure in this Betis side taking responsibility when the game needed clarity.

Why Betis deserved it

The scoreline says tight. The numbers say Betis should have been clearer winners.

A. Ezzalzouli was the volume threat: eight shots, two on target, three successful dribbles from four attempts and constant pressure on Feyenoord’s right side. Antony gave Betis a sharper edge from the other flank before going off, making three key passes and adding one shot on target.

Marc Roca was quietly central. He completed 61 of 67 passes, made four key passes, three tackles and three interceptions. That was the balance of Betis: Roca gave them order, Isco gave them judgement, Ezzalzouli gave them thrust.

Isco’s night lasted 80 minutes, but he shaped the result. He had three shots, two on target, two key passes and scored the penalty in the 59th minute. For a player who has built his late-career revival on timing and nerve, this was another clean entry in the file.

Betis did not need a wild European night. They needed control, patience and one elite action at the right moment. Isco provided it.

Feyenoord had the ball, not the punch

Feyenoord’s problem was not possession. It was turning territory into danger.

A. Hadj-Moussa was their most active attacker, producing four shots and two on target. L. Valente offered two key passes before being replaced in the 82nd minute. O. Targhalline had a strong midfield game on the ball and without it, completing 69 of 77 passes, winning all eight of his duels and making five tackles.

But Nacho Ferri was isolated for long spells. Feyenoord finished with 12 shots, only two on goal, and 0.79 expected goals. That is not enough away in Seville, not against a Betis back line protected by Roca and defended with real authority by Marc Bartra and Natan.

Bartra won six of 10 duels and put two of his three shots on target. Natan was even cleaner defensively, winning six of seven duels and making four interceptions. Álvaro Vallés had only two saves to make, and that tells the real story of Feyenoord’s possession: plenty of the ball, little end product.

Tactical picture

Betis’ 4-2-3-1 gave Isco freedom between Feyenoord’s midfield and defence. With Pablo Fornals and Marc Roca behind him, Betis could build with two passers, then accelerate through the wide midfielders. Antony and A. Ezzalzouli did not simply hold width; they turned Feyenoord around.

Feyenoord’s 4-3-3 was stable in possession, especially through O. Targhalline and Mika Màrmol, but the structure became too flat when Betis dropped into shape. The front three of A. Hadj-Moussa, Nacho Ferri and L. Valente did not generate enough high-quality shots, and Betis were happy to defend the penalty area with Bartra and Natan.

M. Pellegrini’s substitutions were about game management. In the 64th minute, Dani Ceballos replaced Pablo Fornals and Rodrigo Riquelme replaced Antony. Ceballos immediately added control and ball carrying, completing 20 of 22 passes and winning four of six duels. Riquelme added fresh legs but was booked in the 86th minute for a foul.

In the 80th minute, Giovani Lo Celso replaced Isco and Nelson Deossa replaced Troy Parrott. In the 82nd minute, Ángel Ortiz replaced Héctor Bellerín. That was Pellegrini closing the match in layers: midfield security, then energy, then protection.

R. van Persie responded in the 79th minute with Tsuyoshi Watanabe for Jeremiah St. Juste and Gaoussou Kyassou Diarra for Charles Vanhoutte. Sem Steijn came on for Luciano Valente in the 82nd minute, and Tobias van den Elshout replaced Oussama Targhalline in the 90+2nd minute. Feyenoord searched for a late route back, but Betis never truly lost the shape of the game.

Key statistics

Starting XIs and formations

Real Betis, 4-2-3-1, coach: M. Pellegrini

Álvaro Vallés; Héctor Bellerín, Marc Bartra, Natan, Fran García; Pablo Fornals, Marc Roca; Antony, Isco, A. Ezzalzouli; T. Parrott.

Feyenoord, 4-3-3, coach: R. van Persie

T. Ernst; G. Read, J. St. Juste, Mika Màrmol, Javi López; G. Zechiël, C. Vanhoutte, O. Targhalline; A. Hadj-Moussa, Nacho Ferri, L. Valente.

Match events

• 14th minute: Mika Màrmol was booked for Feyenoord.
• 52nd minute: Charles Vanhoutte was booked for Feyenoord.
• 59th minute: Isco scored a penalty for Real Betis.
• 64th minute: Dani Ceballos replaced Pablo Fornals for Real Betis.
• 64th minute: Rodrigo Riquelme replaced Antony for Real Betis.
• 79th minute: Tsuyoshi Watanabe replaced Jeremiah St. Juste for Feyenoord.
• 79th minute: Gaoussou Kyassou Diarra replaced Charles Vanhoutte for Feyenoord.
• 80th minute: Giovani Lo Celso replaced Isco for Real Betis.
• 80th minute: Nelson Deossa replaced Troy Parrott for Real Betis.
• 82nd minute: Ángel Ortiz replaced Héctor Bellerín for Real Betis.
• 82nd minute: Sem Steijn replaced Luciano Valente for Feyenoord.
• 86th minute: Rodrigo Riquelme was booked for Real Betis.
• 90+2nd minute: Tobias van den Elshout replaced Oussama Targhalline for Feyenoord.

What it means

Betis are now on nine points after three matches, fifth in the league phase, with seven goals scored and four conceded. In the same perfect-start bracket as the competition’s heavyweights, they have put themselves firmly in the top-eight race.

For Feyenoord, the picture is more urgent. They have three points from three games, sit 26th, and have scored four goals while conceding eight. The performance in Seville had enough possession to look respectable, but not enough incision to take anything.

Elsewhere in the league phase, Aston Villa also maintained their perfect start, covered here: Perfect Villa Keep Europe on Notice With Controlled Viking Win. Sporting CP’s costly home defeat is another reminder of how quickly this format punishes wastefulness: Sporting CP 2 - 3 Lask Linz: LASK punish wasteful Sporting in Lisbon.

Betis move on with momentum, belief and Isco still deciding games. Feyenoord move on needing points, not possession.