After three opening wins, Real Madrid finally met their match in Sevilla, were stunned by Betis, and returned home empty-handed.The narrow victory over Espanyol in their La Liga opener, along with two comfortable triumphs over Real Sociedad and Malaga, gave Los Blancos plenty to be optimistic about.However, the clash with Real Betis will not live fondly in their memory, as they suffered their first league defeat (1-0), while Jose Mourinho was taught a lesson by his veteran colleague, the "wily old fox" Manuel Pellegrini.REAL MADRID GET THEIR FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON TO BETIS 😱 pic.twitter.com/1UcnAAIaKV— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 4, 2026 The visitors were dominant, and throughout the game it seemed only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock and paved the way for another win. But the breakthrough just wouldn't come.Kylian Mbappe opened his festival of incredible misses minutes before the break, when Betis centre-backs Natan and Marc Bartra blocked his shots with the goal gaping, just seconds apart.He didn't want to leave, but he had to: the emotional story behind Pablo Garcia's Betis exitVinicius Junior, Dean Huijsen, and Jude Bellingham couldn't get the better of an inspired Betis keeper, Alvaro Valles, either, as the rivals remained level at the break. Once Pellegrini's lads survived the first half, things became much easier, especially as the nerves were mounting in the opposition ranks with the final whistle drawing closer.Mourinho tried to shake things up by bringing on Bernardo Silva, Yan Diomande, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but instead of taking the lead, Madrid conceded in the 81st minute!Thibaut Courtois saved Nelson Deossa's header following a corner kick, but Irish striker Troy Parrott was in the right place at the right time to tap the rebound into the net and put Betis in front just 12 minutes after coming off the bench!The visitors desperately went in search of an equaliser and came incredibly close, but luck simply wasn't on their side.In the 87th minute, Mourinho's golden sub Carlos Espi scored a wonderful leveller, only for it to be ruled out for offside.⚪️ Real Madrid somehow leave Sevilla with ZERO goals:◎ 3.16 xG◎ 2.67 xGOT◉ 20 shots◉ 16 shots inside the box◉ 8 shots on target◉ 3 shots off the woodwork✕ 1 missed penalty❌ Real Betis 1–0 Real MadridOne of those nights pic.twitter.com/SlBhc4tH6u— Jorge López-Torrecilla (@JLTorrecilla_) September 4, 2026 However, another chance to salvage a point at the Estadio de La Cartuja came deep into stoppage time, when Natan brought down Vini in the box, and the referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez pointed to the spot.Mbappe took responsibility but fired a tame effort, which Valles stopped, sparking ecstatic celebrations, as Betis extended their unbeaten home run against Real Madrid to five games.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 4FridayReal Betis – Real Madrid 1-0 (0-0)/Parrott 81/Saturday17.15: (3.10) Ath.Bilbao (3.40) Atl.Madrid (2.30) 19.30: (2.30) Rayo Vallecano (3.40) Santander (3.10) 22.00: (1.48) Villareal (4.30) La Coruna (7.00) Sunday17.15: (9.00) Valencia (6.00) Barcelona (1.28) 19.30: (2.30) Alaves (3.15) Osasuna (3.35) 19.30: (2.50) Malaga (3.35) Levante (2.85) 22.00: (2.35) Espanyol (3.20) Sevilla (3.20) Monday20.00: (2.50) Getafe (2.85) Celta (3.30) 22:30: (2.95) Elche (3.40) Sociedad (2.40)***odds are subject to change***
95