Betis are notoriously quick starters in this competition, having scored the first goal in 10 their previous 11 UECL games coming into this match, but little could have prepared the Italians for the ferocity of Los Verdiblancos’ opening gambit.
A long bouncing ball into the channel allowed Cedric Bakambu to overpower and spin away from Pietro Comuzzo, and the veteran forward squared the ball to leave a simple tap-in for Abde Ezzalzouli.
However, the Moroccan thumped his shot against the underside of the bar from less than six yards out, and issues with goal line technology meant there was a long, nervy wait before Michael Oliver confirmed that Betis had once again opened the scoring on a European night.
Below a wall of noise pouring down the stands of the sold-out Estadio Benito Villamarín, the visitors were in danger of being overrun, as Isco went close to adding a second but his curling shot drifted wide of David de Gea’s post.
Slowly, Raffaele Palladino’s men managed to adjust and compete, with Rolando Mandragora going closest for the Viola as he glanced his header wide. On the stroke of half-time, Marc Bartra should have doubled Betis’ lead when he blasted over from 12 yards after Fiorentina had failed to clear a corner.
The introduction of Moise Kean at the interval gave the travelling fans hope, but it was Albert Gudmundsson who almost had an instant second half impact when the Icelander was denied by the onrushing Fran Vieites when bearing down on goal.
Not to be outdone, de Gea produced the save of the night shortly afterwards, leaping to his left to turn away a Bartra header after the defender had been left unmarked.
With the game seemingly in a lull, Antony’s moment of magic seemingly put Betis in firm control of the tie, with his unstoppable drive finding the top corner from the edge of the box.
With noise once again reverberating around the Villamarin, Pablo Fornals failed to finish off a sweeping move started by the ever-impressive Isco, with the former West Ham man only producing a tame finish. It proved to be a costly miss, as a minute later Fiorentina grabbed a lifeline when Gosens’ pullback was fired home by captain Luca Ranieri, setting up a tantalising second leg in Florence next week.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Isco (Real Betis)