Riquelme Completes Real Betis Fightback in Five-Goal Thriller at Girona

Real Betis Balompié produced a composed comeback to defeat Girona FC 3–2 away from home in the Primera Division on matchday 33, with substitute Rodrigo Riquelme striking the decisive goal late on.

The hosts started sharply and took the lead in the 7th minute. Viktor Tsyhankov found the net to make it 1–0 to Girona, giving the Catalan side an early advantage.

Primera Division FINISHED

2026-04-21 19:30

Girona FC

2 - 3

Real Betis Balompié

Matchday 33 REGULAR_SEASON

Betis responded in the 23rd minute. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli created the equaliser, setting up Marc Roca to level the score at 1–1. The visitors then reshaped at half-time, introducing Rodrigo Riquelme for the booked Giovani Lo Celso and Cédric Bakambu for Cucho Hernández.

The changes paid off. On 63 minutes, Bakambu turned provider, assisting Ezzalzouli as Betis completed the turnaround to lead 2–1. Girona hit back quickly, though: Azzedine Ounahi converted a penalty in the 68th minute to restore parity at 2–2.

With the game finely balanced, Betis found a winner in the 80th minute. Ezzalzouli was involved again, delivering the assist for Riquelme, whose strike put the visitors 3–2 ahead and ultimately sealed all three points.

The match also saw several bookings, all for Real Betis until late on: Lo Celso (9′), Bakambu (50′) and Riquelme (79′) were cautioned, while Girona’s Ounahi received a yellow card in the same 79th-minute incident. Both coaches made further changes in the closing stages, including the introductions of Isco and Héctor Bellerín for Betis, and Cristhian Stuani and Thomas Lemar for Girona.

Beyond the goals, cards and substitutions listed, detailed match statistics and additional events were not available in the provided data.

Full match details: Girona vs Real Betis. Team pages: Girona FC, Real Betis.

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Primera Division Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	FC Barcelona	34	29	1	4	89	31	58	88	W W W W W
2	Real Madrid CF	34	24	5	5	70	31	39	77	W D W D L
3	Villarreal CF	34	21	5	8	64	39	25	68	W W D W L
4	Club Atlético de Madrid	34	19	6	9	58	37	21	63	W W L L L
5	Real Betis Balompié	34	13	14	7	52	41	11	53	W D W D D
6	RC Celta de Vigo	34	12	11	11	48	44	4	47	W L L L W
7	Getafe CF	34	13	5	16	28	36	-8	44	L L W L W
8	Athletic Club	34	13	5	16	40	50	-10	44	W L W L L
9	Real Sociedad de Fútbol	34	11	10	13	52	53	-1	43	L D L D W
10	CA Osasuna	34	11	9	14	40	42	-2	42	L W L D D
11	Rayo Vallecano de Madrid	34	10	12	12	35	41	-6	42	W D W L
12	Valencia CF	34	10	9	15	37	50	-13	39	L W D L L
13	RCD Espanyol de Barcelona	34	10	9	15	37	51	-14	39	L D L L D
14	Elche CF	34	9	11	14	45	53	-8	38	L W W W
15	RCD Mallorca	34	10	8	16	42	51	-9	38	W L D W W
16	Girona FC	34	9	11	14	36	51	-15	38	L L L D W
17	Sevilla FC	34	10	7	17	41	55	-14	37	W L L W L
18	Deportivo Alavés	34	9	9	16	40	53	-13	36	L W L D D
19	Levante UD	34	8	9	17	38	55	-17	33	L D W W L
20	Real Oviedo	34	6	10	18	26	54	-28	28	L L D W W