Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds were given a valuable lesson in chasing shadows by Spanish club Real Betis at Cardiff City Stadium.
And yet manager Warnock had good reasons to feel positive about the focus and determination his players put into their performance against top quality opposition despite suffering a 2-1 home defeat.
Almost 10,000 spectators, including a noisy and enthusiastic group from Seville, watched Betis dominate possession during the first half.
They had the ball at their feet for 74 per cent of the opening 45 minutes, but City upped the tempo after the break and really should have won.
Cardiff created chances and missed them to such an extent that Warnock said: “If Real Betis had created those chances they would have beaten us 5-1.
“I joked before the match that I wanted to play a team like Betis so that we could get used to chasing shadows. I mean no disrespect to my players in saying that, but our visitors showed how to treasure possession.
“Our concentration was excellent and overall I’m delighted. We have to cut out silly mistakes, but we created chances and failed to take them.
“I wanted to play a team like Real Betis because they keep the ball so well.
.@joshmurphy65: “I was surprised by the turnout and how vocal they were. The fans were really welcoming to me."
Read more from the #CardiffCity winger here 👉 https://t.co/fsMdXa3zbw#CityAsOne 🔵⚽️🔵⚽️
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) August 4, 2018
“It is important we stay patient in the Premier League and playing against the quality Real Betis made it a great test for us.”
City set up with Sol Bamba patrolling deep in midfield, protecting centre-backs Sean Morrison and Bruno Manga, while Joe Ralls, Bobby Reid and Callum Paterson linked up in midfield.
Junior Hoilett and Josh Murphy were the front two, working hard and opening up the Real Betis back line time and again.
Warnock paid tribute to goalscorer Murphy after Cardiff City’s final pre-season friendly.
Murphy was given a standing ovation when he went off, making way for Kenneth Zohore, and Bluebirds manager Warnock said: “He is improving all the time and is more of a team player now.
“In the last he has done all the individual stuff, but now is part of the team.”
Man of the match Murphy caught the eye with his pace and movement, scoring a cracking goal and missing a golden opportunity when he was put through by Junior Hoilett.
Murphy, who looks certain to be a fans favourite, had a lot of time when he went one-on-one with goalkeeper Pau Lopez, but his low shot rolled wide of the far post.
#LurkingBartley 😂#CityAsOne 🔵⚽️🔵⚽️ pic.twitter.com/C45RVakOEW
— Bartley Bluebird (@BluebirdBartley) August 4, 2018
He scored after five minutes, blasting a fierce shot into the roof of the net from 15 yards.
Betis gave the Premier Bluebirds an ideal pre-season test ahead of next Saturday’s opening League fixture at AFC Bournemouth.
Seville-based Real Betis, a team with outstanding technical ability, dominated possession and had the ball at their feet for 74 per cent of the opening half.
The Spanish team took control through central midfield, passing with a simplicity and accuracy which had City working to hold on.
Manager Warnock’s team stayed disciplined and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge was scarcely troubled for some time, while Murphy, playing alongside Junior Hoilett in attack, smashed home a superb strike after five minutes.
The Bluebirds were good value for that lead and Sol Bamba played a key role in midfield, operating just in front of captain Sean Morrison and the super-cool Bruno Manga, a player who always stays calm under pressure.
Real Betis have a squad full of quality and they went in at the break leading 2-1 thanks to goals from Lorenzo Moron (23 mins) and Christian Tello (30).
Their team includes Spanish internationals, while Andres Guardado has earned more than 100 caps for Mexico and has played in the last four World Cups for his country.
There were plenty of positives for Cardiff, but it’s clear they need extra quality in central midfield and Warnock is working on that.
Aron Gunnarsson was not in the squad against Betis, having suffered a kick to a knee, but his experienced may be needed at Bournemouth.
Cardiff created chances and Callum Paterson almost levelled the scores from a cross by the ever-dangerous Junior Hoilett, but the ball was slightly behind the Scotland international and he could only turn his effort over the bar.
Left-back Joe Bennett has surely earned a starting place at Bournemouth after shining against Betis, while Lee Peltier did well on the right.
Warnock sent on Zohore and Loic Damour after an hour as Cardiff upped the tempo and took the game to their visitors, while Greg Cunningham and Mendez-Laing went on for the last 20 minutes.
Cardiff went ahead when Murphy smashed home an unstoppable shot early in the game, while Moron equalised with a low shot into the net from 15 yards.
Real Betis went ahead with an unfortunate goal after 30 minutes when Cardiff failed to stop a low cross and Tello’s shot went through the legs of Morrison and goalkeeper Etheridge, who was deceived by a deflection off Bamba’s boot in front of him.
Cardiff could, and maybe should have, levelled the scores during a second half in which they were on top, helped in part by the number of changes made by Real Betis, who used 23 players in total.
Cardiff City: Neil Etheridge, Lee Peltier, Joe Bennett (Greg Cunningham 71), Sean Morrison (capt), Bruno Manga, Sol Bamba, Joe Ralls, Josh Murphy (Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 71), Callum Paterson, Bobby Reid (Kenneth Zohore 63), Junior Hoilett (Loic Damour 63). Subs not used: Brian Murphy (gk), Matt Connolly, Kadeem Harris, Gary Madine.
Real Betis: Pau Lopez, Javi Garcia, Marc Bartra, Sergio Canales, Cristian Tello, Takashi Inui, Lorenzo Moron, Joaquin (capt), Aissa Mandi, William Carvelho, Francis Guerrero. Subs: Joel Robles (gk), Zouhair Feddal, Sergio Leon, Victor Camarasa, Antonio Sanabria, Ryad Boudebouz, Andres Guardado, Antonio Barragan, Alin Tosca, Darko Brasanac, Junior Firpo, Edgar Gonzalez.
Referee: Lee Evans.
Attendance: 9,567.