Troy Parrott enjoys winning debut as Real Betis snatch late victory

Valencia 0-1 Real Betis

Troy Parrott made an impressive impact on his Real Betis debut to help his new side dig out a 1-0 La Liga win at Valencia on Tuesday night.

The Republic of Ireland striker, who joined the Seville club from AZ Alkmaar last week, was summoned from the bench by boss Manuel Pellegrini in the 71st minute of a tight contest at the Mestalla.

Parrott had a golden chance to break the deadlock almost immediately, beating the hosts’ offside trap to race goalwards before dragging an angled effort just past the post.

However in the 83rd minute, Betis did get the all-important breakthrough, and Parrott was heavily involved.

The Dubliner showed good strength and awareness to spark a devastating counter-attack that was brilliantly finished off by Pablo Garcia.

Valencia scrambled furiously in search of a leveller, but Betis held on to continue their perfect start to the campaign. Last Friday, they kicked off the season with a 1-0 home win against Real Sociedad.

It’s a sweet end to a whirlwind few days for Parrott.

Speaking before the Valencia game, Pellegrini talked up the 24-year-old’s potential to be a hit in Spain.

“He is a player who has an important challenge in front of him, to make a leap in his career,” he said.

“He has many attributes to do it. He is not only a number nine. I hope he is an important reinforcement because there are many games to play.

“He’s a good goalscorer, he knows how to find space and is a good player. He has that instinct for the ball and I think he’s going to do well.”