Troy Parrott continued his impressive start to life at Real Betis by scoring the decisive goal in a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory away to Lille as the Spanish side returned to Champions League action.
The Republic of Ireland forward, who joined Betis last month, struck the winner in the second half to extend his strong run of form following his match-winning goal against Real Madrid on Friday.
Lille made the brighter start and took the lead through summer signing Ayase Ueda. Ethan Mbappe delivered an inviting ball into the area and the former Feyenoord striker headed home from close range for his second goal in successive matches.
Betis responded through Marc Bartra. Pablo Fornals sent a dangerous cross into the box and the defender produced a diving header to beat goalkeeper Berke Ozer and bring the visitors level.
The French side regained their advantage before the break. Alexsandro rose to meet Gaetan Perrin’s outswinging corner and headed Lille back in front as the hosts made their early pressure count.
Betis emerged with greater intensity after half-time and needed only three minutes to equalise again. Isco delivered a free-kick into the area, where Bartra applied a faint headed touch that redirected the ball beyond Ozer for his second goal of the night.
The momentum had shifted firmly towards the visitors, and Parrott completed the turnaround with a composed finish. The striker drove a low shot across goal and into the far corner to put Betis 3-2 ahead.
Lille’s chances of recovering suffered another major setback when Ethan Mbappe was sent off following an off-the-ball incident involving Natan.
Despite playing with 10 men, Lille continued to search for an equaliser and introduced additional attacking options, including veteran former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud.
Betis held firm under the late pressure, however, securing all three points from an entertaining five-goal contest and making a winning start to their Champions League return.