Seville’s Benito Villamarín stadium buzzed with raw energy last night, May 1, 2025, as Real Betis clawed out a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League semifinal first leg. The Spanish side, scrapping in their first-ever European semi, leaned on sharp finishing and a bit of VAR luck to take a slim lead into next week’s return match in Florence. It was a night of high stakes, tense moments, and a couple of absolute screamers that had the crowd roaring.
The game exploded into life early. Just six minutes in, Betis’ Cedric Bakambu, a menace all evening, darted down the right and slid a pinpoint pass to Abdessamad Ezzalzouli. The Moroccan winger didn’t hesitate, smashing a rocket off the underside of the crossbar. The ball ricocheted down, out, and left everyone squinting. Referee Michael Oliver waved play on, but a quick VAR check confirmed the ball had crossed the line by a whisker. Goal. The stadium erupted, and Betis were off and running.
Fiorentina, no strangers to this stage after reaching the last two Conference League finals, didn’t roll over. They probed with purpose, and around the 20-minute mark, Rolando Mandragora nearly leveled things, floating a cross just wide of the post. The Italian side’s frustration was palpable—Mandragora’s scowl said it all. Betis, though, kept pressing. Right before halftime, Marc Bartra fluffed a golden chance, blasting a loose ball over the bar from a corner. A groan rippled through the stands.
The second half kicked off with Fiorentina’s keeper David de Gea pulling off a stunner. Bartra, again in the thick of it, nodded a fierce header goalward, but de Gea’s one-handed reflex save kept the score at 1-0. The former Manchester United man was a wall—until he wasn’t. In the 64th minute, Betis’ Antony, on loan from United, pounced on a blocked shot and unleashed a vicious half-volley from just outside the box. The ball screamed into the far corner, leaving de Gea rooted. 2-0. The Villamarín faithful lost their minds.
Fiorentina, chasing a third straight final, weren’t done. In the 73rd minute, a defensive lapse from Betis’ Aitor Ruibal let Robin Gosens slip a ball across the box. Captain Luca Ranieri was there, hammering it home to make it 2-1. The Italians smelled blood. Late on, Gosens nearly equalized, glancing a header inches wide from a corner. Four minutes of stoppage time felt like an eternity, but Betis held firm, with Fran Vieites standing tall in goal.
The night wasn’t without hiccups. Fiorentina lost midfielder Danilo Cataldi to a groin injury before the half-hour mark, a blow for their second-leg plans. Betis, meanwhile, saw Giovani Lo Celso limp off late, raising questions about his availability for Florence. Still, the Spanish side’s grit shone through, driven by a raucous home crowd and the nous of veteran coach Manuel Pellegrini.
The second leg looms on May 8 in Florence, with the winner set to face either Chelsea or Djurgården in the final on May 28 in Wroclaw, Poland. Chelsea hold a 4-1 edge after their first-leg rout. For now, Betis head to Italy with a one-goal advantage, but Fiorentina’s late strike keeps this tie very much alive.