Betis climb to sixth place in La Liga with win over Getafe

Getafe (Spain), April 3 (IANS) Real Betis defeated Getafe 1-0 to move into sixth place in La Liga - the final European slot - at the expense of a host side who could be forgiven for blaming bad luck.

At least 200 Betis supporters made the trip from Seville, joining some 10,400 locals in the stands at Getafe's Coliseum Alfonso Perez to create a surprisingly lively atmosphere for a Monday night, reports Efe.

Getafe were the more ambitious squad in the first half and got their first opportunity in the 8th minute, an angled shot by Angel Rodriguez that rolled wide.

The hosts watched another chance pass by at the half-hour mark, when Faycal Fajr's free kick reached Leandro Cabrera in scoring position, but his header missed the target.

Rodriguez brought the fans to their feet in the waning minutes of the first half with an acrobatic shot that came to nothing as the ball bounced off the far post. Seconds later, Getafe keeper Vicente Guaita needed two touches to handle a shot from Ryad Boudebouz.

While the home side retained the initiative after the break, Betis' Andres Guardado created problems for the Getafe defence, testing Guaita from a distance in the 48th minute before setting up a dangerous effort by Loren Moron.

Getafe were poised to take command in the 64th minute when the referee awarded a penalty for Jordi Amat's hand ball.

Adan, however, had other ideas. He stopped Francisco Portillo's initial shot from the spot and then smothered the follow-up.

Getafe battled on and a Vitorino Antunes free kick looked bound for the back of the net until the post again intervened to benefit Adan.

Substitute Sergio Leon scored in the 88th minute and Adan thwarted a stoppage-time try by Cabrera to allow Betis to walk away with all three points.