Navalcarnero 2–3 Real Betis AET: Marina rescues Pellegrini before Riquelme winner

Real Betis avoided a Copa del Rey first-round elimination that had looked increasingly likely deep into normal time, eventually beating Navalcarnero 3–2 after extra time in Alcorcón. Rodrigo Riquelme scored early, but Varo López and Kensly Vázquez Cervera turned the tie in the home side's favour. Betis trailed 2–1 as the clock entered stoppage time before academy forward Rodrigo Marina equalised. Riquelme then scored again early in extra time to carry Manuel Pellegrini's team into the next round.

The result deserves to be described as an escape, not a comfortable demonstration of superiority. Betis possessed the experience and resources expected of the favourite but lost control of the score after half-time. Navalcarnero came close to turning the rearranged fixture into a major upset. The visitors' advantage lay in having enough attacking alternatives to respond when the game was almost gone, rather than in preventing the upset from developing in the first place.

Riquelme's early goal could not prevent a remarkable comeback

Betis appeared to have established a simple narrative in the fifth minute, when Riquelme put the visitors ahead. An early goal against lower-division opposition often allows a favourite to dictate the tempo and force the hosts to open up. Navalcarnero resisted that pattern. Their pressure grew after the interval, and Varo López equalised in the 49th minute. Rather than settling for parity and waiting for a mistake, the home side continued to challenge Betis.

Kensly Vázquez struck in the 79th minute to make it 2–1, setting up a potential result of real significance for Navalcarnero. Betis now needed a goal merely to avoid elimination. The change in score also revealed how much their first-half lead had concealed: the visitors could move the ball and create chances, but they had not established the defensive security required to make a one-goal advantage safe.

Marina changes the tie in stoppage time

The most consequential goal arrived in added time. Rodrigo Marina, introduced from the bench, scored in the 90+2nd minute to pull Betis level at 2–2. It was an important intervention from a player given an opportunity when his senior side was running out of time. The goal did more than equalise: it denied Navalcarnero the chance to close out their upset in the final moments of regulation and forced another half-hour of football.

Riquelme completed his double in the 96th minute, early in extra time, returning Betis to the lead for the first time since the start of the second half. This time Navalcarnero could not mount another recovery. There was still late drama: Aitor Ruibal received a second yellow card in the 118th minute and Isco had a late penalty saved. Those incidents did not alter the result, but they reinforce how little of the final phase was entirely under Betis' control.

What the tie reveals about Pellegrini's depth

The decisive contributions came from two different positions in the squad. Riquelme provided the goals either side of Navalcarnero's comeback, while Marina's equaliser preserved Betis' cup participation at the moment of greatest danger. It is an encouraging outcome for squad depth, particularly in a fixture where Pellegrini had involved younger players. Yet the performances that precede the goals matter equally. A team with Betis' ambitions cannot rely on stoppage-time rescue acts every time a lower-ranked opponent turns up the pressure.

Navalcarnero deserve more than the description of an opponent who merely pushed the favourite hard. They recovered from an early setback, took the lead with eleven minutes of regulation remaining and were on course for the next round until Marina intervened. They lost after 120 minutes, not because they failed to compete, but because Betis found just enough quality in the decisive late phases. That distinction gives the home performance its proper weight.

Betis advance, but the lesson is clear. Riquelme's two goals and Marina's intervention make the result a story of resilience and opportunity for younger players. The period between Varo's equaliser and Marina's rescue, however, makes it a warning about game management. The final score of 2–3 must always be accompanied by the status after extra time: the tie was 2–2 at 90 minutes and required a further 30 minutes to decide.