Slovan's Opponent Features Historic Record-Breaker; Pellegrini Warns After Comeback: "We Wanted to Show We Belong"

"We started on the right foot, and we hope to continue in that vein. We must keep demonstrating our character and our belief that we belong here," remarked Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Lille's players had enjoyed a successful start to the French Ligue 1, securing seven points from three matches. Their promising form continued into the clash against Real Betis, where Ajase Ueda put them ahead. Marc Bartra's equalizer was swiftly answered by Alexsandro, whose powerful header in the 36th minute restored the home side's lead.

However, the second half belonged to the visitors. Bartra leveled the score once more, and shortly after, Troy Parrott emerged as the hero for Betis. The 24-year-old striker, who joined Betis from Alkmaar in the summer, followed up his winning goal against Real Madrid in the previous La Liga match by beating the Lille goalkeeper after a solo effort, making it 3-2.

"I'm truly delighted for him. Scoring two goals in two games is a huge achievement for him. As for Marc Bartra, he has a wealth of experience, and tonight he showcased all his quality on the pitch," Pellegrini stated, as reported by uefa.com.

The home side's downfall was compounded by their midfielder Ethan Mbappe, who had earlier delivered a perfect cross for Lille's opening goal. In the 56th minute, however, he elbowed opposing defender Natan in the head off the ball, leading to a red card after a VAR review.

"The start of the second half was tough for us. There were transitions we could have handled better. The game's dynamic changed rapidly, but that's football. This will help us in the future," noted Lille coach Davide Ancelotti.

The weakened home team couldn't recover against a surging Betis, who held on to their narrow victory.

"I believe we managed to control a significant portion of the match. If you look at the statistics, they show we largely dominated, and that proves we are capable of imposing our style on other teams," Pellegrini commented, pleased with his team's successful return to the Champions League:

"It's been years since we played in this competition. Yesterday, we said that qualification wasn't the ultimate goal. We wanted to show that we deserve to be here and that we belong. The team managed to display the character needed to start this Champions League season in the best possible way."

Lille forward Olivier Giroud, at 39 years and 343 days old, became the oldest French player to feature in the UEFA Champions League. He surpassed the record held by Monaco goalkeeper Jean-Luc Ettori, who was 38 years and 272 days old when he played against AC Milan in April 1994.