At 01:45 Beijing time on February 18, the first leg of the Europa League knockout play-off, the 40-year-old Joaquin set a record, Rodriguez passed a meritorious goal, Willian José and Guardado scored 1 goal each, and Real Betis won 3-2 away to Zenit to take advantage of the promotion.
The 40-year-old Joaquin has been unable to play in La Liga, did not get a start after 24 rounds, and played only 108 minutes in total. Joaquin also confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season, ending a 23-year career.
Although sitting on the bench in La Liga, Joaquin was heavily used by manager Pellegrini in the cup. In the 6 group games of the Europa League, Joaquin started all of them. In addition to the Europa League, Joaquin also appeared as a starter in the first two rounds of the Copa del Rey.
This time, joaquin was once again given a start against Zenit's First Leg in the Europa League Knockout Play-off. After only 8 minutes, Joaquin set a europa League record.
In the opening eight minutes, Real Betis was given a well-placed free kick opportunity on the right side of the field. Joaquin sent a full moon curved knife into the penalty area, rodriguez completed the head hammer to break the goal, helping Real Betis to rebound, taking the lead to break the balance on the field and take a 1-0 lead.
According to statistics, Joaquin broke the all-time record held by Hirstad in 2015 (40 years and 133 days) at the age of 40 years and 211 days, becoming the oldest assist in europa League history.
It was Joaquin's fourth assist in all competitions this season. So far, Joaquin has contributed 2 goals and 4 assists in 19 appearances this season, and assists on all three fronts: La Liga, Copa del Rey and Europa League.