Espanyol have been held to a 0-0 draw by Real Betis at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat in La Liga.

Chances were few and far between during a tight first period but the hosts would have felt that they should have gone into the break ahead when Christian Stuani headed wide from close range following some good play from Simao.

Espanyol looked slightly more dangerous than their opponents but poor play in the final third of the pitch meant that Betis were rarely threatened in the first 45 minutes.

Neither team managed to make a substantial improvement after the interval, with both sets of midfielders struggling to enjoy any sustained spells of possession.

Thievy Bifouma had a great chance to break the deadlock in the 75th minute when he found himself in plenty of space in the box. However, he could not find a way past Guillermo Sara with a tame effort.

Betis held firm to secure a point as both sides were made to pay for their lack of attacking quality.