Betis bites the hand that fed them

If there is one thing Girona are consistently excellent at, it is providing high-octane entertainment for everyone except their own season ticket holders. In a match that had more mood swings than a teenager in a blackout, Real Betis rolled into the Montilivi and walked away with three points that they arguably stole while the hosts were busy checking the VAR monitor.

The afternoon started with the usual Catalan optimism. Viktor Tsygankov decided to actually do his job for once, opening the scoring and giving Girona fans the brief, flickering hope that they might actually climb out of mid-table obscurity. It didn't last. Marc Roca, apparently tired of watching his teammates pass sideways, decided to smash one in from distance to ensure we went into the break at a perfectly balanced 1-1.

The second half was where things got truly ridiculous. Abde Ezzalzouli reminded us why he is usually the most frustrating man on the pitch by actually finding the net, before Azzedine Ounahi dragged Girona back into it with a penalty. At 2-2, the script was written for a heroic Girona comeback. Instead, Rodrigo Riquelme stepped up. Because of course he did. Scoring against the club where you spent a season on loan is the ultimate act of petty betrayal, and Riquelme executed it with the kind of cold-blooded efficiency that Girona's defenders usually reserve for their own goal-kicks.

Girona thought they had snatched a point at the death through Vitor Reis, but the VAR officials decided to crush their souls by spotting an offside. It was CRUEL, but also perfectly on-brand for a team that seems to allergic to holding onto a lead.

For Real Betis, this victory is huge. They are now firmly cemented in 5th place, breathing down the necks of the Champions League elite and proving that Manuel Pellegrini might actually be a wizard. Meanwhile, Girona remain stuck in 12th place—the footballing equivalent of a waiting room where nothing ever happens. They have enough points to avoid the drop but not enough talent to actually achieve anything, leaving their fans to spend the rest of the season watching the clock and wondering where it all went wrong. ABSOLUTE SHAMBLES.