The visitors arrived at Stade Pierre-Mauroy looking for their first-ever away victory against French opposition, but were behind after just 12 minutes. Ethan Mbappe swung a dangerous cross to the back post, from where a grateful Ayase Ueda nodded home after beating the offside trap.
Other than that, neither side landed a shot on target until Manuel Pellegrini’s side scored a magnificent equaliser shortly after the 30-minute mark. Pablo Fornals was the architect, delivering an inch-perfect cross from deep that took the goalkeeper out of the equation and was converted by Marc Bartra.
Parity lasted only a handful of minutes, though, as the hosts made it 2-1 with another header. Gaetan Perrin delivered a hanging corner for Alexsandro Ribeiro, and he climbed above two defenders to power home at the back post.
But Betis were in no mood to go down meekly, and Troy Parrott - a match-winning hero against Real Madrid just four days earlier - wasted a huge opportunity at the other end, as he slid in and blazed over from close range, while Antony also shot off target.
The Heliopolitans continued to create chances after the break though, and equalised once more when Bartra got his second of the game - unsurprisingly, it was a fourth headed effort, with the two-time UCL winner converting from close range when meeting Isco’s delivery.
Antony then frustratingly fired wide from distance, but the comeback was completed on 53’, when Parrott breezed past his marker and then unleashed a low, angled effort that whizzed beyond Berke Ozer at the far post.
The frustration of the night had clearly got to Lille, who were reduced to 10 men moments later. VAR invited the referee over to the monitor to look at an off-the-ball elbow by Mbappe, which earned a straight red card, and that gave the hosts - who were previously unbeaten in three matches this term – an even bigger mountain to climb.
In truth, it was one they rarely looked like scaling, and Betis looked the likelier to score any sixth goal on the night, with Marc Roca and Rodrigo Riquelme both coming close.
A late surge from Lille resulted in Olivier Giroud being denied by a stunning block, but the damage had already been done to Davide Ancelotti’s men, who suffered a third successive home defeat in continental football.
In addition, they ended up on the receiving end of what was Betis’ first winning opener to a group stage or league phase game in any European competition since 2022.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marc Bartra (Real Betis)
