Parrott strikes as Mbappé miss ends Madrid’s winning start

Real Madrid suffered their first defeat since José Mourinho’s return as coach, losing 1-0 away to Real Betis in La Liga on Friday. Troy Parrott, an Irish striker who joined Betis from AZ Alkmaar in the summer, struck the decisive goal in the 81st minute, and Kylian Mbappé then missed a stoppage-time penalty that would have earned Los Blancos a share of the points.

Real Madrid lose after late Betis strike and missed penalty

Betis broke the deadlock when Nelson Deossa’s header stung the palms of Thibaut Courtois, and the goalkeeper could not hold on to the rebound. Parrott reacted quickest to turn the loose ball home for his first goal since arriving at the club, ending Real Madrid’s promising start under Mourinho.

Madrid thought they had found a route back when substitute Carlos Espí produced an acrobatic finish, but the goal was chalked off following a VAR review for offside. Deep into stoppage time, Vinícius Júnior won a penalty after being brought down by Natan, only for Mbappé’s tame spot kick to be smothered by Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles. Madrid’s players protested that Marc Bartra had encroached and pushed for a retake, but the officials disagreed and Betis held on for all three points.

A setback after three straight wins

The defeat is a damaging one given the context. Madrid had opened the season with three consecutive league wins following Mourinho’s return, 13 years after his first spell in charge ended. It marked the first time since the 2014-15 campaign that Madrid have lost one of their opening four league fixtures.

Chances were not in short supply for the visitors. Vinícius struck a post, Mbappé squandered two clear openings before the interval, and Valles denied Jude Bellingham after the restart before Mbappé later crashed a shot against the crossbar with five minutes remaining.

The result also snapped a run of seven consecutive penalty conversions for Mbappé in all competitions for Real Madrid. Managing Madrid reported that Betis have now taken points from six of their last eight meetings with Madrid.

Barcelona can increase early advantage

The timing compounds the damage. Barcelona will have the chance to open up a three-point gap over their rivals if they win away at Valencia on Sunday. For a Madrid side that had looked rejuvenated under Mourinho, dropping points at La Cartuja is exactly the kind of result they will want to avoid repeating.

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