Pellegrini praises Betis after five-goal win over Osasuna

Isco scored twice, Ez Abde added a goal and Ante Budimir put through his own net as Real Betis established a commanding lead. Budimir and Raúl García de Haro brought Osasuna back into the contest before Isco restored the two-goal cushion and José Antonio Morante Antúnez completed the scoring in stoppage time.

Pellegrini felt his team had produced a complete performance, even though Osasuna's response briefly threatened to change the match.

“Football is never under control. The results indicate a superiority for one team, but as soon as you drop the tempo a little, the other team can draw level,” he said.

“I think the team played a very good, complete match. In the first half they barely reached our goal. We went 2-0 ahead, then their first goal brought them back into it. At 3-2 they felt closer, but we regained our attacking threat and scored five goals.”

The Betis manager also dismissed Osasuna's protests over Natan's challenge on Rubén García shortly before Isco scored the fourth goal.

“I saw it from the bench and then again on television. There are arms involved from both players. Natan's arm did not seem to me to be enough to make him go down like that. I didn't think the referee made a mistake, because these situations happen in every match,” Pellegrini said.

Ramis strongly disagreed, arguing that the incident should have resulted in a red card and could have changed the outcome.

“It's a clear red card. With the score at 3-2, it could have changed the course of the match, and I still don't understand these decisions,” he said.

The Osasuna coach also questioned the penalty awarded for Betis's opening goal, describing it as very harsh. However, he praised his players' second-half response and urged them to learn from their defensive mistakes rather than focus solely on the officials.

Pellegrini was particularly pleased with Isco's contribution after the midfielder endured a difficult period with injuries.

“I'm very happy for him because he has had a very hard time. He suffered two injuries, including unusual fractures for a player who isn't normally injury-prone. But he has spectacular quality and the maturity to perform at the level he wants.”

The Chilean refused to look too far ahead, insisting that Betis must concentrate on their next match against Porto in the Champions League.

“Our only objective should be to try to win on Wednesday in the Champions League. Once that match is finished, we will focus on the next one. We are involved in three competitions, so we will try to do our best in all three.”

The result strengthened Betis's league campaign, while Osasuna were left frustrated by the disputed decisions and their inability to maintain the momentum of their comeback.