Real Madrid: a cursed evening in Seville against Betis

I went through the match minute by minute, the reports and the post-match statements. The common thread is clear: Real Madrid dominated and created the best chances, but lacked efficiency against a perfectly organised Betis and a decisive Álvaro Valles.

Real Madrid: a cursed evening in Seville

Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season. After three consecutive wins in Liga, José Mourinho's men fell 1-0 against Real Betis on Friday evening at La Cartuja. A particularly frustrating defeat given how long the Madrid side seemed to have the chances to swing the match in their favour.

From the very first minutes, Real settled into the Andalusian side's half. Dean Huijsen was the first to look dangerous, but his header was pushed away by Álvaro Valles. Moments later, Vinícius Júnior hit the post following a pass from Arda Güler.

Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé then multiplied their attempts, but Betis' defence held firm. At half-time, Real could already regret their lack of efficiency.

Valles, the Betis wall

The second half did not change the nature of the match. Madrid kept pushing, but without finding a way through.

And whenever the Merengues did manage to test the goal, Álvaro Valles was there to answer. The Betis goalkeeper was one of the main architects of the Andalusian side's success, saving several dangerous situations and keeping his team in the match.

Then, against the run of play, Betis struck.

In the 81st minute, a corner found Nelson Deossa. His header was pushed away by Thibaut Courtois, but Troy Parrott had followed the play perfectly. The new Irish forward only had to push the ball into the net to put the home side ahead.

A completely crazy finale

Real immediately tried to respond.

In the 87th minute, Carlos Espí thought he had equalised with a spectacular acrobatic effort. But after a VAR check, the goal was disallowed for offside.

A few minutes later, another turning point: Vinícius won a penalty after a foul by Natan in the box.

Mbappé stepped up against Valles in stoppage time. The Frenchman could have saved Real Madrid from a dark evening.

But Valles won the duel once again.

The goalkeeper dived the right way and saved Mbappé's penalty, before Marc Bartra also neutralised the danger on the rebound. The decision was confirmed: Bartra had not committed an infringement on the penalty.

Mourinho: 'I don't know why we lost'

José Mourinho did not hide his bewilderment after the match. The Portuguese coach felt his team had produced enough to leave with the win, while acknowledging that Betis had perfectly exploited the details of the match.

The Madrid coach in particular lamented the difference in experience in managing small moments and praised his players' work despite the result. He also delivered a very Mourinho-esque line about Betis, suggesting the Andalusians had played for a draw before ultimately 'hitting the jackpot'.

Real will need to bounce back quickly

This defeat obviously does not call everything into question, but it reminds Mourinho of a certain reality: dominating a match does not guarantee the three points.

Real Madrid hit the woodwork, created numerous chances, saw a goal disallowed and were awarded a penalty. Yet they leave Seville without having scored.

Betis, for their part, were patient, solid and clinical at the decisive moment.

A first defeat for Mourinho, a first warning for Real Madrid.