Real Betis missed the chance to secure three consecutive derby victories for the first time in LaLiga history, as a resilient Sevilla FC side recovered from two goals down to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw in El Gran Derbi.

Just a day after more than 20,000 supporters packed out Betis’ opening training session at Estadio de La Cartuja, tens of thousands returned to the club’s temporary home hoping to witness another famous derby triumph.

The hosts did not disappoint early on. After 16 minutes, Antony produced a moment worthy of the occasion. Ez Abde sparked the move with a driving run to the byline before cutting the ball back for Cucho Hernandez, whose close-range effort was blocked. The rebound, however, fell invitingly for Antony, who acrobatically fired home a stunning bicycle kick to ignite the home crowd.

It was his seventh league goal of the campaign, and although the tempo briefly settled, Betis struck again just before the break. Abde was once more central to the move, threading a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Alvaro Fidalgo, who delicately flicked the ball in with the outside of his boot for his first goal since arriving from Club America during the winter window.

Sevilla, trailing by two goals at half-time of a LaLiga derby for the first time this century, emerged with renewed intent after the interval. Their response arrived shortly after the hour mark through Alexis Sanchez. The veteran forward made a clever run to meet Oso’s whipped delivery and guided a diving header beyond Alvaro Valles, breathing life into the contest and energising the travelling support.

Betis began to look uneasy as the momentum shifted, and Sevilla’s persistence paid off five minutes from time. After a free-kick was only partially cleared, Isaac Romero reacted quickest, driving the loose ball into the bottom corner to complete the comeback and register his first league goal since October.

The hosts were visibly shaken, and Akor Adams nearly snatched a dramatic winner in stoppage time, only to see his angled effort heroically cleared off the line.

Romero’s late leveller lifts Sevilla into 11th place, while Betis, under Manuel Pellegrini, remain fifth but sit eight points adrift of the top four after letting a commanding lead slip in one of Spain’s fiercest rivalries.