Real Betis took a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on September 4 in a La Liga match held at La Cartuja stadium in Seville, ending Madrid's perfect start to the 2026-27 season [1, 2, 3, 4].
The only goal came in the 81st minute when substitute Troy Parrott scored. Parrott, who joined Betis in August 2026 on a five-year deal from AZ Alkmaar, finished on the rebound after Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied a Nelson Deossa header [1, 2, 3, 4].
Real Madrid controlled large parts of the game, creating many chances with eight shots on target and an expected goals (xG) figure of 3.16, but failed to convert them [5]. Kylian Mbappe hit the crossbar in the second half and missed a stoppage-time penalty that was saved by Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles, who made several key saves throughout the match [1, 2, 3, 4].
Late in the game, Carlos Espí had a spectacular bicycle kick goal ruled out for offside [1, 2, 3, 4]. Despite Madrid's dominance and attacking play, they struggled to find the net, with coach Jose Mourinho lamenting, "Sometimes you lose and you don't know why. Sometimes you lose and you don't know how to explain it" and adding, "I have nothing to reproach my players for. We probably deserved to win, but deserving to win does not earn you any points" [5, 4]. Mourinho also said Betis players were "cleverer than Real Madrid's in [influencing the referee]. Madrid's are naive" [5].
The defeat ended Madrid's winning run after three consecutive La Liga victories. Both Betis and Madrid now sit level on nine points after four matches in the season [3, 4].
