La Liga: Real Betis 2 Osasuna 1

9 March 2013 01:26

Real Betis moved into fifth on the La Liga table after recording a 2-1 win over Osasuna, who ended the match with 10 men on Friday.

In wet conditions at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, Betis took the lead in the 19th minute when Jorge Molina headed home Joel Campbell's cross.

Osasuna, who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao last week, went into the half-time break trailing and manager Jose Luis Mendilibar rung the changes in a bid to avoid a second successive loss.

Masoud Shojaei and Cejudo replaced Sola and Oier during the interval and the duo's introduction lifted the team.

The visitors were eventually level with just over 15 minutes remaining after Francisco Silva capped off a swift counter-attacking move.

However, Betis restored their lead six minutes later when striker Ruben Castro latched onto a delightful through pass from Dorlan Pabon to net his 13th goal of the season.

Castro is now the fourth-highest scorer in La Liga alongside Sevilla's Alvaro Negredo.

Osasuna pushed for an equaliser but to no avail and their frustration led to the dismissal of goalscorer Silva, who saw red in the final minutes after fouling Molina.

Betis are a solitary point clear of Valencia and level on points with Malaga following Friday's triumph.