Manchester United flop Antony continues to star for Real Betis on the back of bringing his Old Trafford nightmare to a close. The Brazil international found the going tough in English football, but has rekindled a lost spark in Spain as he becomes a fan favourite in Andalusia. That standing was enhanced when scoring a stunning brace for Betis against Real Mallorca.
Transfer saga: Man Utd agreed to sell £85m flop Antony
Antony has become a talismanic presence for Betis having initially linked up with them on a short-term loan in January. He registered nine goals across that spell, while also gracing the Conference League final. The South American made it clear over the summer that his preference was to secure a long-term future at Estadio Benito Villamarin. A protracted saga dragged out across a full transfer window, with Premier League giants United only sanctioning a sale on deadline day. Antony finally got his wish and has settled quickly again in familiar surroundings.
AdvertisementWatch Antony score stunning brace for Betis vs MallorcaAntony has already matched sorry Man Utd goal return
Having mustered just 12 goals for the Red Devils through 96 appearances, Antony has already matched that return across 32 outings for Betis. He has five efforts to his name this season, with a brilliant brace being recorded against Mallorca.
There were less than 10 minutes on the clock when Antony opened the scoring in that contest. He was allowed to drift inside from the right wing, play a neat one-two on the edge of the box and crash a low drive into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.
Antony’s second, which arrived just past the half-hour mark, was even better. Once again, he was able to exchange passes with a team-mate outside the penalty area before getting a clear sight of the target. On this occasion, he curled a sublime strike into the opposite corner. Betis were able to add a third courtesy of Abde Ezzalzouli before half-time, with Antony turning provider, and went on to prevail 3-0.
GettyAntony happy with form despite hat-trick disappointment
Antony was delighted with his contribution, even if he did miss out on a hat-trick. He told reporters afterwards: “Very happy with the result, it's very important. We knew how important today's match was because losing the three points at home against Atletico was very tough. Now, winning at home is very important for our confidence. We're moving on. I'm very happy with the two goals and the assist. It's a shame I didn't get the third, but that's part of the game.”
Betis have risen to fifth in La Liga, three points behind Atletico Madrid and the final Champions League qualification spot. Antony and Co. will be back in action on Thursday when playing host to French giants Lyon in their latest Europa League fixture.