Real Betis were held to a 1–1 draw by bottom-of-the-table Real Oviedo, with Giovani Lo Celso scoring his first La Liga goal since August to deny the hosts a rare victory and extend their winless league run to 12 matches.

Eager to respond after a heavy 5–1 defeat to Real Madrid, Betis started brightly and created several clear chances inside the opening half hour. Cucho Hernández smashed a powerful effort against the near post before Pablo Fornals was thwarted by Oviedo goalkeeper Aarón Escandell, who redeemed himself after a loose pass out from the back.

Oviedo almost ended their long wait for a home goal shortly afterwards when Alberto Reina stretched to meet Haissem Hassan’s inswinging cross, only to poke his effort wide. The visitors then came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock just before the interval, as Cucho attempted an audacious strike from inside the Oviedo half, lifting the ball over the backpedalling Escandell and onto the top of the crossbar. The miss ensured a ninth straight scoreless first half at Estadio Carlos Tartiere.

Escandell continued to impress early in the second half, producing two crucial saves to keep Oviedo level — first standing up well to deny Antony, then diving low to repel a Lo Celso effort.

Those missed chances came back to haunt Betis when Oviedo struck first. Ilyas Chaira unleashed a low, long-range drive into the bottom corner, sparking jubilant celebrations as the hosts netted their first home goal since September.

The lead, however, did not last. Lo Celso met Antony’s pinpoint cross with a glancing header that looped beyond Escandell and into the net. The equaliser survived a VAR review for a possible foul, restoring parity and frustrating the home crowd.

While the goal earned Betis a point, the result will have felt disappointing for Manuel Pellegrini’s sixth-placed side against La Liga’s basement club. Oviedo, meanwhile, have drawn all three matches under new head coach Guillermo Almada and remain five points from safety heading into the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.

For Betis, a run of just one win in their last five league games leaves their top-six position under increasing threat.