Mbappe misses late penalty as Betis stun Real Madrid 1-0

Real Madrid suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Betis on Friday (September 5), ending their perfect start to the La Liga season.

The defeat was Real’s first since Jose Mourinho returned as head coach and their first loss in the opening four league matches of a season since 2014-15.

Madrid had a golden chance to take the lead in first-half stoppage time after Vinicius Junior was fouled inside the box. Mbappe stepped up to take the penalty, but his relatively weak effort was saved by Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles.

Betis eventually broke the deadlock in the 81st minute. Valles initially denied Nelson Deossa’s header but failed to hold the ball, allowing Irish striker Troy Parrott to pounce on the rebound from close range.

It was Parrott’s first goal for Betis since joining from AZ Alkmaar during the summer.

Real created several chances but struggled to find the finish. Vinicius struck the post in the first half, while Mbappe saw one effort blocked by Nathan and another denied by a superb intervention from Marc Bartra.

Madrid continued to press after the break, with Valles saving from Jude Bellingham and Mbappe sending another effort narrowly wide.

Mbappe then struck the crossbar with a powerful shot five minutes before full time. Carlos Espejo appeared to have levelled with an acrobatic finish soon after, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside.

Real were awarded another penalty late on when Nathan brought down Vinicius inside the area. Mbappe took responsibility again, but Valles comfortably saved his spot-kick.

The miss ended Mbappe’s run of seven consecutive successful penalties for Real Madrid in all competitions. Madrid players appealed for the penalty to be retaken, arguing that Bartra had entered the box before the kick was taken, but the referee rejected the claim.

The defeat left Real on six points from four matches after three wins. Barcelona, also on six points from three games, moved top on goal difference and can open a three-point gap with victory away to Valencia on Sunday.

For Betis, the win delivered a major boost and handed Mourinho his first defeat since beginning his second spell at Real Madrid after 13 years away.