Are you a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person? Whatever your outlook, there's a headline to suit you today. From "Betis waste an ideal opportunity to dream of bigger things" to "A draw that brings the objective closer" via "An offside goal deprives Betis of victory", there are almost as many perspectives on yesterday's draw as Betis had chances to pick up two more points. Perhaps El Mundo's "A point as the lesser of two evils" is the most apt. Yes, the result could have been better - but it could have been worse, too. (Does that count as a platitude, d'you think?)
Although the game was fun to watch at the time, I don't think it will go down as one of the most memorable of the season, so there aren't a ton of points to come out of it, but here's a look at one or two..
l Pepe Mel sounded disappointed in the post-match press conference, but only slightly. "Overall we deserved to win," he said, "but as this is football, not boxing, what you deserve doesn't count for anything, only goals do, and that's why we drew...[but] a point means we can go home and sleep well...We have 30 points, we're in good form and we're playing good football. I'm satisfied." You'd have to be super-critical to disagree.

l The Betisweb fans' site runs a man-of-the-match vote for every game, and the last time I looked Jefferson Montero was winning yesterday's prize by a landslide. That might suprise you if you haven't seen him play in the last three weeks or so, but it's absolutely true that he's really starting to look like a potential superstar. He's been impressive running full-pelt at defenders all season, but just lately he's started to add a nice mixture of crosses, sensible passes and dangerous shots, and he was so much Betis's key player yesterday that the remaining fans in the Villamarín at full time applauded him off the pitch. His pass to Jorge Molina for the goal was inch perfect, he kept going right to the end, as he's also doing a good job providing energetic defensive help.
All he lacks now is a goal, a fact he seems painfully aware of. "These days I'm much more confident in my game thanks to the support of my team-mates," he said, "although the boss still wants more from me, like defending and helping the team, but I'm really grateful to him because he's helping me get better day by day. It's true that I'm desperate to score, but I hope I can do it soon."
l Was the Getafe goal offside? This video certainly seems to suggest so, although it was close enough that it hardly feels like robbery. Perhaps more importantly, immediately before Getafe scored a promising-looking Betis move was interrupted by the linesman flagging up Rubén Castro for a non-existant offside - a decision that sent Pepe Mel apoplectic. Within seconds, Getafe were level.
l The Betis goal (2'05" on the video below) is also worth looking at again: a sharp tackle by Juanma, a deceptively simple pass from Jefferson Montero and a fine finish from Molina. I like the celebration, too - Rubén looks genuinely thrilled that his strike partner has scored, while most of the rest of the team head to Jeff to congratulate him on his part in the move, before Nelson arrives at full speed and Iriney celebrates with Gol Norte. It's just a shame the euphoria didn't last longer.
l The crowd was officially a little over 42,000 - the second-biggest of the season after the derbi, thanks to the cheap-tickets offer. To be honest, though, the atmosphere was a bit muted, a result perhaps of the odd kick-off time (6pm counts as right after lunch in Seville time), the low winter sun in the eyes of half the stadium, and Betis's failure to hold on to their lead for more than four minutes. But if you want an idea of what attending a game in Heliópolis is like, take a look at this fun home-made video, which has popped up on YouTube today. The first couple of minutes really capture the spirit of things.
l There are some more nice picture galleries of the game up on various Betis-related sites - try here, here and here for starters. I'm a particular sucker for ones where the photographers turn away from the pitch...
l I have to admit that Sevilla's unexpected win at Valencia today was a slight irritation, but defeats for Mallorca and Granada mean Betis remain in 12th, still closer to Europe than relegation. Next up is a tricky-looking visit (next Monday evening) to fourth-placed Levante, followed by the long-awaited visit of Real Madrid. Points are going to be hard to come by over the next two or three weeks.
Pic of Jefferson Montero in full flight from Betisweb