Isi praises referee's integrity after Rayo hold Betis to a point in VAR-heavy draw
Rayo Vallecano winger Isi reflects on a hard-earned 1-1 draw at Betis, praising the referee while questioning the length of added time.
A point at the Benito Villamarín is never something to sniff at, and Rayo Vallecano’s Isi was broadly satisfied after his side came away from Seville with a 1-1 draw against Real Betis — even if the final stages left a slightly sour taste.
Rayo the better side in the second half
Isi was pretty clear in his assessment after the final whistle, telling DAZN that Rayo had been the superior team after the break. That’s a bold claim at a ground like Villamarín, but when you look at how the game played out, it’s hard to argue too much. Betis are a quality side — Isi himself called them “a great team” — but Rayo clearly fancied themselves in the second period.
- Rayo came away with a deserved share of the spoils
- Isi felt his side controlled large parts of the second half
- The Murcian winger said the squad should leave “feeling happy”
The VAR chaos and the never-ending stoppage time
Here’s where it gets a bit tasty. The VAR intervened twice in the second half, and with it came an absolute mountain of added time — nearly a quarter of an hour by Isi’s reckoning. His take? That once play resumed after that final stoppage, it basically became a different game altogether, with Betis feeding off the home crowd’s energy and pushing hard for a winner.
It’s a fair point, actually. Fifteen minutes of added time at a ground where the home fans are right on top of you is no joke. Rayo had to dig in.
Isi’s classy take on the penalty call
The real talking point was a potential penalty shout for a foul on Rayo’s Ratiu. Isi, to his credit, didn’t go in all guns blazing about it. Instead, he said he told referee Juan Martínez Munuera to trust what he’d seen with his own eyes — a refreshingly measured thing to say in an era where players are usually in the ref’s ear demanding every decision go their way.
In the end, no spot kick was given. And Isi’s response? Genuinely classy. He said it “does the referee credit” that he went to the monitor and stuck with his original call. The ref said he saw nothing, and Isi respected that.
- No penalty awarded for the Ratiu incident
- Isi urged the ref to back his own live judgment
- He praised Munuera for having the bottle to maintain his decision
Bottom line
A point on the road at Betis, a captain showing real leadership in how he talks about officials, and a second-half performance that suggests Rayo are no pushover. Not a bad afternoon’s work, all things considered. The Vallecas boys will take it.