Real Betis beat Real Madrid 1-0 as Troy Parrott scores and Alvaro Valles saves late penalty

Opening pressure and missed first-half chances

Real Madrid started matchday 4 of La Liga in Seville seeking a fourth consecutive victory under manager José Mourinho. The visiting side created early opportunities, beginning in the 11th minute when defender Dean Huijsen met an Arda Güler cross with a header that forced a save from Real Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles. Four minutes later, Vinícius Júnior struck the outside of the post from a narrow angle following a pass from Kylian Mbappé. Real Betis defended deep in the Seville heat before generating forward momentum late in the first half. Before the break, Mbappé was stopped by Natan and Marc Bartra in the 43rd minute, while Jude Bellingham headed over the bar from a 44th-minute corner.

Parrott strike and late disallowed goal

The match tempo slowed after the interval as both sides adjusted in the high temperatures. Mbappé curled an effort narrowly wide in the 48th minute, while Betis forward Antony tested Thibaut Courtois with a long-range strike four minutes later. Manuel Pellegrini introduced Troy Parrott in the 68th minute, two weeks after the Irish international joined Betis from AZ Alkmaar. The forward made an impact in the 81st minute when Pablo Fornals delivered a corner that Nelson Deossa headed toward goal. Courtois parried the initial header into the six-yard box, where Parrott reacted to shoot into the net. Madrid pressed immediately, with Mbappé hitting the crossbar in the 85th minute before substitute Carlos Espí scored with a bicycle kick that VAR ruled out for offside in the 89th minute.

Stoppage-time penalty save secures victory

Betis nearly doubled their lead when Deossa attempted a long-range shot over an off-line Courtois, but the Belgian goalkeeper retreated to make the stop. Madrid received a final chance in stoppage time after Betis defender Natan fouled Vinícius Júnior inside the penalty area in the 93rd minute. Mbappé stepped up to take the 94th-minute penalty, but Valles dove to save the spot kick and preserve the 1-0 advantage. Valles made one further save against an Espí header in the 97th minute to seal the three points for Betis. The result ended Real Madrid's unbeaten run under Mourinho and extended Madrid's winless streak at Betis, where they last won in August 2021.

Standings and pre-match background

The victory moved Real Betis to nine points from four matches, level with Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the table. Barcelona remain on nine points with a game in hand ahead of their fixture away at Valencia on Sunday. Ahead of the fixture, Mourinho addressed both the challenge in Seville and the off-pitch situation involving defender Raúl Asencio, who was absent through injury after facing club disciplinary procedures.

To beat Betis you have to be at your maximum level.

A Real Madrid player is one 24 hours a day. What you do outside can harm your prestige and that of the club. I am not happy and we all make mistakes, but accumulating mistakes is different.