Real Betis gave the big surprise this Friday by defeating Real Madrid 1-0 and giving them their first defeat of the season, in a match marked by the decisive interventions of goalkeeper Álvaro Valles and the opportunism of Irish striker Troy Parrott.
The white team generated several of the clearest chances of the match, but left Seville without a reward. Parrott took advantage of a loose ball in the area to score the only goal of the night and, already in added time, Valles became the green and white hero by saving a penalty from Kylian Mbappé.
Madrid came out willing to impose conditions despite the advanced pressure from Betis. During the first minutes he managed to establish himself near the local area and was very close to taking the lead.
Valles appeared for the first time in the 11th minute, when he reacted quickly to deflect a close-range shot from Huijsen. Shortly after, Vinicius also had the goal in his boots, but his shot, from a poor angle and into an empty goal, ended up crashing against the post.
Betis grew as the minutes passed and found space when Isco began to delay his position to participate more in the construction. Antony was one of the most active footballers of the locals and starred in one of the best actions of the first half.
The Brazilian connected with Cucho Hernández after an acrobatic control and the Colombian striker finished without dropping the ball, although his attempt went very close to the post.
Real Madrid’s response came in a dizzying counterattack. Arda Güler started the play and Bellingham and Vinicius participated in the transition before the Brazilian left Mbappé in an unbeatable position.
The Frenchman finished twice, but Betis miraculously survived. Natan took the first shot practically over the line and, after the rebound, Marc Bartra appeared to clear with his chest as the ball headed towards the goal again.
Parrott appears to punish Madrid
The second half was much more balanced. The intense Sevillian heat took its toll on the Madrid midfield, while Pellegrini found solutions from the bench to give his team more energy.
One of the decisive changes was the entry of Troy Parrott. The Irish striker, who became Betis’ most expensive signing during the summer, quickly showed why the club had opted for him.
In the 81st minute, Parrott was in the right place to take advantage of a short clearance from Courtois after a powerful header from Deossa from a corner kick. The attacker only had to push the ball to make it 1-0.
Real Madrid then went in search of a reaction and came very close to achieving it in stoppage time.
Carlos Espí scored with a spectacular shot, but the action was invalidated due to a previous offside. Shortly after, the definitive opportunity arrived: Natan knocked down Vinicius inside the area and the referee awarded a penalty.
Mbappé took responsibility, but his execution lacked power. Valles guessed the direction and deflected the shot to his right to ensure a memorable victory for Betis.
The green and white team resisted until the end and were left with three points of enormous value, while Real Madrid suffered its first setback of the season despite having had numerous opportunities to score.
Goal: 1-0, Parrott (81′).
Referee: Alejandro Hernández Hernández. He cautioned Bernal, Marc Roca and Natan for Betis; and Güler, Konaté and Camavinga for Real Madrid. Mourinho, a member of the Madrid coaching staff, was also reprimanded.
