La Liga: Gritty Granada hold Real Betis in a thriller

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Bengaluru, June 16: A stoppage time strike from Roberto Soldado helped a gritty Granada hold Real Betis 2-2 at home in a thrilling La Liga encounter at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Soldado volleyed home a corner which landed kindly for him at the far post after an 85th-minute penalty from Sergio Canales and an 88th-minute effort by Cristian Tello had turned the match on its head.

Earlier Carlos Fernandez fired Granada ahead when he swept the ball home from eight metres to round off a superb fast break, with Ramon Azeez releasing Antonio Puertas who squared the ball to the striker from the left flank.

The result left Granada eighth on 42 points from 29 games while Real Betis stayed 13th on 34 points, nine clear of the relegation zone.

La Liga Points Table | Fixtures

Real Betis dominated possession in the opening half and visiting keeper Rui Silva pulled off two good saves to keep out a close-range header by Edgar Gonzales and a Nabil Fekir piledriver from the edge of the penalty area.

With the match seemingly heading for a dull climax, Canales converted the spot kick after Antonio Barragan bundled Puertas over before Tello curled the ball into the far corner with a speculative shot from 25 metres.

The home side's joy was short-lived however, as 35-year old Soldado drove the ball past home keeper Joel Robles from eight metres after an outswinging corner evaded a forest of bodies in the penalty area.