Mourinho's first defeat: Real Madrid punish themselves on a crazy, unbelievable night!
A strange collapse!
Neither the dominance nor the chances counted for anything as Real Madrid fell 1-0 to Real Betis. José Mourinho's players lacked the decisive final touch, and a harsh blow in the closing minutes, a Bakout strike, handed them their first defeat of the season just days before their Champions League campaign begins.
Mourinho had warned his players before kick-off about the difficulty of the encounter. Beating Betis, he stressed, demanded Real Madrid's very best. It never materialised, despite a strong start from the Whites.
Sweeping attacking pressure marked Madrid's opening spell. Kylian Mbappé nearly broke the deadlock early, before Álvaro Valles shone to deny a powerful strike from Dean Huijsen in the 13th minute.
Two minutes later, Vinícius Júnior came within inches of the net. The post denied the Brazilian a goal after a fine assist from Arda Güler.
Betis threatened Thibaut Courtois's goal now and then, with Antony their most prominent source of danger, yet the clearer chances kept falling to the visitors.
Mbappé squandered a valuable opening in the 44th minute, Valles blocking his effort twice in a single attack. Huijsen then rattled the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.
The chances turn against Real Madrid
Mbappé kept hunting the opener after the break, curling one just past the post. Real Madrid gradually began to lose their grip, though, and the hosts grew in confidence.
Chasing a breakthrough, Mourinho threw on his attacking cards, most notably Bernardo Silva, Yan Diomande and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The changes brought nothing.
Real Madrid were punishing themselves for their profligacy when the fatal blow arrived in the 81st minute. Courtois blocked a ball from a corner, and Bakout pounced on the rebound to put the hosts in front, setting the stands of La Cartuja alight.
Madrid threw everything at rescuing the game in the final minutes. Asencio thought he had grabbed the equaliser, only for the referee to rule it out for offside. Then Mbappé missed a penalty in the 95th minute, capping an unlucky night for the Whites.
Real Madrid paid a heavy price for their wastefulness. Mourinho and his men suffered their first defeat of the season, and it lands just before their Champions League campaign gets under way.
Betis, meanwhile, pulled off one of the surprises of the round, claiming a valuable win at the expense of the Whites.
