Real Betis defeat Real Madrid 1-0 after late Parrott goal and Mbappe penalty miss

The fourth matchday of the La Liga season at Estadio de La Cartuja began under intense Seville heat and an unexpected delay. Match officials and players discovered that the official match balls were under-inflated, requiring testing across the touchline before kickoff because modern balls with embedded chips are not used in pre-match warm-ups. The match followed a cordial pre-game encounter between Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho and Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini, who had traded critical remarks more than a decade earlier.

Mourinho addressed their past tensions ahead of the clash.

There are moments, words, things you say, things you do, and then in the end you feel like an idiot. I will give him a hug before and after the match.

Pellegrini reciprocated before kickoff, praising the Portuguese coach's evolution.

I see him much more mature now than years ago, now there is more reason in what he says.

Missed opportunities in the first half

Real Madrid started with high pressing and dominated possession, controlling 74% of the ball during the opening fifteen minutes. Playmaker Arda Guler dictated Madrid's attacks from the right flank, creating an early opening in the tenth minute with a cross to Dean Huijsen, whose close-range effort drew a reflex save from goalkeeper Alvaro Valles. Four minutes later, Guler picked out Vinicius Junior at the back post, but the Brazilian forward struck the woodwork. Betis gradually established a foothold through Antony, who tested Thibaut Courtois with an angled strike in the seventeenth minute before setting up Juan Hernandez for a volley that sailed wide.

Madrid continued to generate scoring opportunities as the interval approached. In the 42nd minute, Jude Bellingham played Vinicius Junior into open space on the counter-attack behind Hector Bellerin. Vinicius squared the ball across the goalmouth to Kylian Mbappe, but successive defensive interventions from Natan and Marc Bartra cleared the ball off the goal line. Shortly before the interval, Valles produced another diving save to deny a Bellingham header and keep the match scoreless at the break.

Parrott strikes and late penalty drama

Mourinho adjusted his lineup after the hour mark, introducing Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bernardo Silva, and Yan Diomande in a triple substitution. Pellegrini responded by bringing on Troy Parrott and Nelson Deossa in the 69th minute to reinforce the Betis attack. The breakthrough came in the 81st minute when Parrott reacted first to a rebound from Courtois, driving the ball home to give Betis a 1-0 advantage.

Real Madrid pushed forward in response and appeared to level the match in the 87th minute through an acrobatic finish by substitute Carlos Espi. A video assistant referee review overturned the goal for offside, preserving the home side's lead. In the fifth minute of added time, Madrid received a penalty, but Valles denied Mbappe's spot-kick to secure the victory. Real Madrid protested for encroachment by Bartra, yet the referee team upheld the initial call without ordering a retake. The result leaves both Real Madrid and Real Betis on nine points after four matches.