“Riquelme can offer us a lot. He made the difference.”

Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini made an assessment after the green and white victory over Torrent, which allowed them to qualify for the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey, a round that will take place on December 18. “It was very important to pass, that’s what we wanted. … We took the game seriously from the beginning and tried not only to win but to provide a good team performance and a high individual performance. “We were serious, we wanted not only to win, but also to perform well.”

Regarding Riquelme and his three goals, the Chilean coach said: “I am very happy for him because he had some interruptions in his performance. He can give us a lot. He shows will and desire and lacks a point of calm to finish the game well, which is what he had today and made the difference.”

After spending some time in the cup, attention turns back to La Liga, where Betis will host Barcelona on Saturday. “He comes to us at the right time. We’ve talked to the players about having a series of eight games coming up that we need to win. Unfortunately, we drew two matches but the team is performing well in all three competitions. It has undoubtedly been good months of results and good performance. There will be three other very important points, also at home. The only loss we had was at home to Athletic and Atlético. We want to close the gap with those at the top and it will be a good start with a win on Saturday. “We’ll go out looking for him like always,” he noted ambitiously.

In response to a question from Chilean journalists about whether renewing his contract with Betis would mean excluding his national team, Pellegrini said: “There is not much to clarify. Everyone can have the opinion they want. I hope I can finish my career managing the Chilean team. In the Chilean Federation, the board of directors will be changed now. I do not want to be forced to be under contract with a new board. Now the way is at Betis, I have a lot of support from the fans and I am happy at the club.” To do things orderly and calmly.”