Brentford victorious over Real Betis in final pre-season test

Brentford capped off their pre-season schedule with a win against Real Betis.

Bryan Mbeumo scored the only goal of the game after a superb run down the left from Rico Henry, and it was a deserved lead for the hosts.

Betis improved in the second half and were threatening from the off, but Brentford were able to hold on throughout the rest of the match and conclude their summer schedule with a victory.

Thomas Frank’s side will now switch their focus to the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, when they face Leicester away from home.

From the off, Brentford always looked like the first team to score. Ivan Toney had the opening shot of the match inside the first minute, but former Manchester City and Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was on hand to save.

Just moments later, Betis had their first attempt when Youssouf Sabaly fired a powerful effort on goal, with David Raya having to make a strong save to deny him.

Throughout much of the first half, Henry and Yoane Wissa were working well together down the left hand side, causing their La Liga opposition a lot of trouble. Toney thought he had netted the opener in the eighth minute when he smashed a superb volley in from a corner, but referee Chris Kavanagh had blown for a foul inside the box just two seconds earlier.

Brentford continued their attacking momentum when Mbeumo was played through down the right, but Bravo did really well to save down low to his right. Toney then had a header saved by the Chilean goalkeeper soon after.

Nabil Fekir stepped up to take a free-kick for the visitors in the 14th minute, with Raya saving from the Frenchman after a well-hit effort. From then on, neither side had any particular chances of note, but this all changed when the Bees took the lead.

On the half four mark, Henry made a dazzling run down the left before feeding Mbeumo inside the box, who proceeded to fire his side in front. It was a deserved lead given their attacking threat during the first half.

As half-time approached, Borja Iglesias attempted a low effort from range but it was comfortable for Raya in the Brentford goal, and that chance summed up Betis’ efforts in the opening 45 minutes.

The Spanish outfit did catch the west Londoners lacking moments after, but Luiz Henrique’s shot was fired over the bar and the whistle soon blew for the break.

Betis were the better side from the second half kick-off, with Alex Moreno firing over from outside the area in the first two minutes. Fekir was then in a prime position in the box, but could not get the ball out of his feet in order to get a shot away.

Toney was played through by Mbeumo minutes after and he was able to get round Bravo, but his effort hit the side netting from a tight angle.

Borja Iglesias headed wide from a cross just a minute later as Betis continued their search for an equaliser. Wissa then saw a weak effort from outside the area fall nicely into the hands of Bravo.

Brentford looked comfortable defending their lead but Betis were still posing a threat to their solid defence, with playmaker Fekir getting more involved in the second half. Saman Ghoddos tried an audacious bicycle kick after some good play from Keane Lewis-Potter, but he was unable to get a proper connection on it.

In the final ten minutes, Wissa was able to get onto the end of a lofted through ball and dink it over Bravo, but Betis soon cleared their lines and averted the danger. Josh Dasilva’s shot shortly after was saved, and Ghoddos’ free-kick could only hit the Betis wall.

Chances from Shandon Baptiste and Toney would be the final key moments of the match, with both players closing down on goal but being unable to get a shot away.

Full-time arrived and Brentford were able to cap off their pre-season with a win, with Frank and his side now set to prepare for their trip to the Foxes next weekend.

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