Tanner Tessmann and the rest of Les Gones got on the ball early at Estadio La Cartuja, but they had a scare as the American was almost caught out by Cédric Bakambu on the edge of his own box.
Khalis Merah then sent an attempt harmlessly wide, but chances came at a premium in the opening 20 minutes as both teams played nice football but lacked a cutting edge when it mattered. That was embodied by Los Verdiblancos’ first shot of the game, as Antony’s tame effort trickled towards Dominik Greif.
Real Betis eventually stepped things up and made the breakthrough on the half-hour mark. Lyon initially escaped punishment for lax play as Abde Ezzalzouli’s strike was palmed behind, but the winger reacted to convert when the ensuing corner was flicked on by Bakambu.
Antony came agonisingly close to a quickfire second but didn’t have to wait too much longer to get on the scoresheet, as the Brazilian was released by Marc Roca’s intelligent free-kick and effortlessly lifted the ball over Greif.
Lyon’s only response before the break was a speculative attempt apiece from Tessmann and Enzo Molebe.
Paulo Fonseca took action with a double change ahead of the restart, and Merah came agonisingly close to halving Lyon’s deficit within three second-half minutes. The visitors continued to search for a way through Manuel Pellegrini’s backline, but with the green and white wall refusing to budge, Mathys De Carvalho eventually resorted to a venomous strike from range that was saved.
The away defence wasn’t as secure, and a long ball to Bakambu resulted in Greif having to deny Abde. Les Gones still kept pushing but Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nicolas Tagliafico both shot off-target.
Tyler Morton embodied his side’s growing desperation with a speculative shot that bounced convincingly wide, as Real Betis recorded their third consecutive win – all of which have come in different competitions – to extend their unbeaten record in the UEL. In doing so, they ended Lyon’s perfect start in the competition while condemning Les Gones to a third consecutive winless match across all competitions.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Antony (Real Betis)