Pellegrini praises Betis’ character despite Dortmund defeat

“The team competed well from start to finish,” Manuel Pellegrini said after Betis lost 2-1 in Dortmund. The result left the coach bitter, but he was positive about the performance: he believes his players showed the character needed to meet their opponents and hold their own on the pitch.

Pellegrini stressed that Betis had approached the match aiming to win, rather than simply to withstand pressure. He said his team wanted to show from the outset that it belonged in the Champions League. “I have no reproaches to make about the way I want the team to play; I think we achieved that,” he said. In his view, the desire to pursue victory from the start went hand in hand with the character expected of a side competing in the tournament.

His main regret was the way the match unfolded: Pellegrini lamented that the German side scored its second goal soon after the equaliser. That sequence affected the result, but did not erase what he felt his team had produced. “I’m satisfied with what we did and, of course, bitter that we didn’t get a point,” he summed up.

The defeat did not change his assessment of Betis’s European campaign. “We have 9 points from 12, a 75% return,” the coach said. Four matchdays remain, and Pellegrini does not intend to sort them by the difficulty of the opponents: “I don’t separate easier matches from harder ones.” He also says he wants to take things step by step, while hoping Betis can qualify as high as possible. Pellegrini recalled that, according to Mundo Deportivo, he believed nine or ten points had almost always been enough to reach the next round; that benchmark has not changed his decision to focus on one match at a time.

Before the match, Manu Fajardo wanted Real Betis to remain faithful to its football at Signal Iduna Park. The sporting director had also stressed to media representatives in Germany the need to show character against Borussia Dortmund, whom he considered a step above Betis’s first three Champions League opponents. Pellegrini likewise emphasised the importance of being confident on the ball. He acknowledged Borussia’s quality and physical and technical balance, while also arguing that Betis had important, experienced players of its own. He urged his side not to fear the opposition. Mundo Deportivo also attributed to him the view that Borussia were a level above Betis’s three previous European opponents.

Pellegrini also welcomed Aitor Ruibal’s goal after his long injury layoff, saying it would do him good and that he would remain an important player for the team. He praised the supporters, who kept singing despite the defeat: “The bond between the team and the fans is total, and I hope it always stays that way.” He described the crowd as a force that drives the team and said the European campaign should be a source of pride for supporters at the stadium and those following from home.

Asked about his renewal, the coach chose not to comment: “It is not an important issue right now. Things take their course; we will see what the future brings.” His immediate focus, he said, remains on the pitch and on Betis progressing one match at a time.