Sports

Troy Parrott Nets Winner as Betis Beat 10-Man Lille in Champions League Opener

By RTÉ Sport

Troy Parrott scored the decisive goal in Real Betis's 3-2 Champions League victory over Lille, who finished the match with ten men. The strike marked Parrott's first appearance and first goal in the competition, coming just four days after he netted his opening goal for Betis in a home win over Real Madrid in La Liga. Lille took the lead through Ayase Ueda before Alexsandro Ribeiro added a second, but Betis defender Marc Bartra scored twice, either side of half-time, to level the score at 2-2. Eight minutes into the second half, Parrott struck the winner after receiving a through ball from Rodrigo Riquelme. The Republic of Ireland striker created space for himself inside the Lille box before firing a low shot past goalkeeper Berke Ozer. Three minutes later, Lille's Ethan Mbappe, brother of Real Madrid and France forward Kylian Mbappe, was shown a red card, leaving his side a man down as Betis held on for the win. The result marked Betis's return to the Champions League after a two-decade absence. Parrott started the match at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy and played the full 90 minutes plus stoppage time.