Sevilla pulled off a 1-0 win against Betis, thanks to a 50th-minute penalty from Belgian forward Dodi Lukébakio, awarded after a handball by Diego Llorente. The match, held at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, saw Sevilla dedicate the victory to their captain Jesús Navas, who played his last derby and became the player with the most appearances in these encounters, with 28.

Going into the match, Betis was three points ahead in the standings but faced the disadvantage of only starting preparations on Friday due to their Europa League clash against Legia Warsaw on Thursday. Betis’ coach, Manuel Pellegrini, had made nine changes to the lineup for that game.

One of the key players left out of the Europa League match, and rested specifically for the derby, was Giovani Lo Celso. The Argentine was expected to be Betis’ main weapon after their 1-0 loss and poor performance in Poland.

For Sevilla, Jesús Navas began the match on the bench as he prepared to say goodbye to derby games ahead of his planned retirement in December. Forward Isaac Romero, returning from injury, made the starting lineup after missing the last two games.

It took about 15 minutes for Betis to create their first real chance, with a shot from Vitor Roque that didn’t trouble Sevilla’s Norwegian goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland. Lo Celso also had a couple of powerful attempts, the best of which went just wide of the post.

Betis managed to balance the game after Sevilla’s initial burst of energy, creating a few problems for the home defense. Vitor Roque came close a couple of times, but Nyland stood firm.

The first half ended scoreless, with both teams having their moments but neither able to break through, leaving the match wide open for the second half.

Sevilla came out strong after the break, and their breakthrough came early in the second half. A free-kick led to a header from Agoumé, which hit Diego Llorente’s hand. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty, and Lukébakio calmly converted it to give Sevilla the lead.

Betis struggled to respond, and Pellegrini made changes, bringing on Cedric Bakambu and Aitor Ruibal to push for an equalizer. Bakambu even scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

With Jesús Navas now on the pitch for his final derby, Sevilla managed to control the game despite a late challenge. The situation became more tense when Tanguy Nianzou was sent off in the 89th minute after receiving a second yellow card.

However, Betis’ hopes of taking advantage of the extra man were dashed when Brazilian defender Natan de Souza got injured in stoppage time. With no more substitutions available, he had to stay on the field, clearly struggling, and Betis couldn’t find a way to avoid the defeat.