Kylian Mbappé was left to rue a costly late penalty miss as Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season, falling to a 1-0 loss against Real Betis at the Estadio de La Cartuja on Friday night.
The defeat ended Real Madrid’s perfect start to the La Liga campaign under José Mourinho, who returned to the club for a second spell as manager.
Madrid had won their opening three league matches before being undone by Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis side in Sevilla.
Madrid started the contest as the more dangerous side but struggled to convert their opportunities. Mbappé, who had scored four goals in his opening three league appearances, was presented with several promising openings but could not find the breakthrough.
Vinicius Junior also came close for the visitors, while Real Madrid continued to threaten through their attacking trio. Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles, however, produced a series of important interventions to keep the hosts in the contest.
The game remained goalless deep into the second half before Betis finally broke the deadlock in the 81st minute. Substitute Troy Parrott reacted quickest after Thibaut Courtois had made a save from a header from a corner, tapping the rebound home from close range to send the home crowd into wild celebration inside de la Cartuja.
Real Madrid immediately increased the pressure in search of an equaliser and appeared to have found it when Carlos Espí produced a superb finish from a teasing Vinicius Jr cross.
Their celebrations were short-lived, though, as VAR ruled the goal out for offside in the build up to the goal.
Madrid were handed another opportunity in stoppage time when Vinicius Jr was brought down inside the area by Natan, prompting referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández to point to the spot.
Mbappé took responsibility for the penalty, but Valles stood tall to save the Frenchman’s effort.
There was a brief VAR check over a possible encroachment by Marc Bartra before the decision to keep the penalty miss intact was confirmed.
Madrid could not create another clear opening, leaving Betis to celebrate one of their biggest victories of the campaign.
Parrott’s Moment Changes the Game
Parrott’s goal proved decisive in a match where Betis had largely contained Madrid’s attacking threat. The Republic of Ireland striker had begun the match on the bench but made an immediate impact after being introduced, turning a rebound into the winning goal.
For Mourinho, the defeat represents the first setback of his second Madrid tenure in the league. His side had opened the campaign with victories over Espanyol and Real Sociedad before continuing their winning run against Malaga.
The result also gives Betis a significant psychological boost against one of their most illustrious opponents. Madrid had dominated the recent fixture, including a 5-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu in January 2026.
The previous meeting at La Cartuja in April ended 1-1, with Vinicius scoring for Madrid before Betis equalised in the final play.
Betis’ victory is their first over Madrid since 2020, ending a long wait for a win in the fixture. It also marks only their second victory against Los Blancos since that 2020 triumph, underlining the significance of Friday night’s result.
The defeat leaves Madrid on nine points after four matches, while Betis move onto nine points as well after their third victory of the campaign.
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