Former Manchester United forward Antony appeared to collapse in tears after missing a late chance in Real Betis’ recent draw with Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
The Brazilian winger, who never established himself at Old Trafford after a £86 million transfer from Dutch giants Ajax, was consoled by his team-mates and the club’s sporting director as the full-time whistle blew to signal the end of a 1-1 draw.
Antony was a surprise arrival at United in the summer of 2022, linking up with manager Erik ten Hag who had coached him in the Netherlands with Ajax.
He played his part in a promising 2022-23 campaign for the Red Devils, who finished third in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup.
However, after registering eight goals and three assists in his debut season with United, he managed only five joint goal contributions in 2023-24 and fell out of favour when Ten Hag was later dismissed and replaced by Ruben Amorim.
The 26-year-old subsequently joined Real Betis on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 term, where he would score nine goals and register five assists in 26 appearances.
After a transfer saga this past summer, Betis and United eventually agreed a deal for Antony to return to Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla, this time on a permanent basis.
He has been in impressive form again, helping lead Betis’ bid to finish in La Liga’s Champions League qualification places.
Man Utd flop in tears after missing late chance
However, Antony was struck by emotion after Real Betis’ most recent fixture, a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Cedric Bakambu had given Manuel Pellegrini’s side a 16th-minute lead, but Isi Palazon equalised just before half-time to level the scores before the break.
The hosts pushed for a winner but they ultimately failed in that pursuit, with Antony passing up a golden opportunity in second-half stoppage time.
He was sent through by Cucho Hernandez and only had goalkeeper Augusto Batalla to beat, but he contrived to shoot straight at the shot-stopper, prompting audible groans from the home supporters.
He appeared to be in tears just after the full-time whistle, with El Chiringuito describing Antony as ‘completely devastated’.
Sporting director Manu Fajardo was spotted going over to the former United star to console him, while a number of his team-mates also offered their support to the dejected winger.
Real Betis lagging behind in Champions League race
It was a big moment in the race to qualify for the Champions League in La Liga, with Betis putting together an impressive run of form in Spain’s top flight so far.
However, that miss could end up being costly in their pursuit of that ambition, with Betis now sitting six points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in the league table with 25 matches played.
They also still have games to play against Real Madrid, Barcelona and fellow surprise challengers Celta Vigo.
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Spanish side chasing Europa League glory
All is not lost for Betis in the remainder of the season, however.
A strong run of form coupled with a drop off from either Atletico or Villarreal could well help them get closer to the top four, while they are also into the last 16 of the Europa League after finishing fourth in the league phase table.
They picked up five wins, beating the likes of Ludogorets Razgrad, Lyon, Utrecht, Dinamo Zagreb and Feyenoord.
They will face one of Viktoria Plzen, Nottingham Forest, Panathinaikos or Fenerbahce when they return to the competition.
The first match of that tie will take place on 12 March, with the return fixture coming a week later.
In the meantime, Antony and Betis will attempt to put the disappointment of the draw with Rayo Vallecano behind them in their next La Liga fixture, which arrives on Sunday when they host Sevilla in the hotly-contested Derbi Sevillano.
After that, Pellegrini’s side take on Getafe, Celta Vigo, Athletic Club and Espanyol in Spain’s top flight.
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