Betis beat Real Madrid as Mbappe misses penalty in first La Liga defeat

What the report says

Real Betis handed Real Madrid their first La Liga defeat of the season, winning 1-0 at La Cartuja in Seville on Friday, according to Al Jazeera’s report from AFP. The result ended Madrid’s perfect start under Jose Mourinho in his second spell as coach, after three straight league wins. The match also marked a setback for Kylian Mbappe, whose late penalty was saved in stoppage time by Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles.

Al Jazeera reported that the decisive moment came nine minutes from the end, when Troy Parrott scored from the rebound after Thibaut Courtois stopped a header from Nelson Deossa. Parrott’s goal was his first for Betis. Madrid had earlier come close through Vinicius Junior, whose first-half effort hit the post, while Mbappe was twice denied by strong defensive blocks and later struck the crossbar.

The visitors briefly thought they had equalised when Carlos Espi finished acrobatically from a Vinicius cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up. Mbappe then had a chance to level after a late foul on Vinicius, but Valles kept out the spot kick.

The result moved Betis level with Madrid on nine points from four matches. More broadly, it highlighted how quickly a narrow, late-game moment can alter the early standings in a league season, while also underscoring the pressure on Mourinho’s returning Madrid side and on Betis as they prepare for European competition next week.