Real Betis vs Real Madrid standings shift after 1-0 upset
Real Betis beat Real Madrid 1-0 on Friday in Seville, ending Madrid’s perfect start in La Liga. Troy Parrott scored late, Álvaro Valles saved Mbappé’s…
SEVILLE — The real betis vs real madrid standings picture changed on Friday after Real Betis beat Real Madrid 1-0 in La Liga, ending Madrid’s perfect start. Substitute Troy Parrott scored the winner nine minutes from time, and goalkeeper Álvaro Valles saved a stoppage-time penalty from Kylian Mbappé.
The result handed José Mourinho’s Madrid its first loss of the season. It also gave Betis three points from a match that swung sharply in the closing minutes, after Madrid missed its best late chances and failed to turn possession into a goal.
Parrott finishes, Valles stands tall
The game started at a high tempo, but the pace dropped after the interval in the heat in Seville. Parrott, who came on in the 68th minute, broke the deadlock in the 81st when he reacted quickly after Thibaut Courtois parried a header into his path.
Madrid kept pushing. Mbappé hit the crossbar four minutes later, and substitute Carlos Espí later met a cross from Vinícius Júnior with a spectacular bicycle kick. The goal did not stand, though, after a VAR review ruled it out for offside.
Nelson Deossa almost added a second for Betis when he tried his luck from long range after spotting Courtois off his line. Courtois recovered in time to make the save. Then came the final twist.
Natan brought down Vinícius inside the area deep into stoppage time, giving Madrid one last chance to salvage a point. Mbappé took the penalty, but Valles saved it and preserved Betis’s lead.
Mourinho frustrated after Madrid's first defeat
Mourinho said his side controlled much of the match but still lost. “My team played a great game, and sometimes you lose and you don’t know why,” he said. “We dominated, controlling everything, lots of attacks, lots of chances. If we had drawn we would have been left frustrated, so imagine how we feel after losing.”
He added: “I don’t know how we lost because we played very well collectively. I cannot fault the attitude of any of my players. We deserved to win but deserving to win does not give you points. I’m very happy with my players, all of them. I cannot fault any of them individually. As for the penalty, when one of us steps up to take it, we all stand together.”
The Madrid coach also pointed to what he called a sharper edge from the home side. “The Betis players are more streetwise than the Madrid players, who are very honest. With the backing of a fantastic crowd, they manage to gain these kinds of advantages,” he said.
Betis entered the match on six points from its first three league games, while Madrid arrived with wins in its opening three matches. The head-to-head record had been tighter than Madrid’s form suggested, with Betis winning one of the last five meetings and two ending in draws.
Friday’s result showed that gap can disappear fast. It also left Madrid with no margin for error after a night when it had chances, control and pressure — but no point.
