Defeat at La Cartuja

Real Madrid lost their first La Liga match at La Cartuja. Our team started dominantly and, before the 15th minute, had already created two clear chances to open the scoring. The first came in the 11th minute with a precise cross from Arda Güler and an acrobatic effort from Huijsen, who had moved up for the previous corner, but the home goalkeeper denied the goal. The second chance came three minutes later, but the post prevented the 0-1 after another cross from Güler, which swept through the area and was struck by Vini Jr. with his left foot from a tight angle.

From Vini Jr.'s post to Huijsen's crossbar
From that moment until the hydration break, Betis grew into the game with the ball, and the contest became more balanced until the 43rd minute when the clearest chance of the match arrived. A great through pass from Bellingham found Vini Jr. on the run, who faced Valles and played the ball to Mbappé inside the box. Natan blocked the Frenchman's first left-footed strike, and Bartra, with his chest on the goal line, stopped the second attempt. It wasn't the last dangerous play before halftime. In added time, following two corner kicks, the goalkeeper made a great save from a Bellingham header, and the subsequent effort from Huijsen hit the crossbar.

The pace slowed significantly after the break, and chances took a while to materialize. In the 68th minute, Huijsen intercepted the ball from Antony in midfield and played it into the path of Mbappé, who couldn’t convert inside the box. Then, in the 80th minute, after a corner kick, a header from Deossa was brilliantly saved by Courtois, but Parrott gave Betis the lead on the rebound.

Penalty
In the 85th minute, the equalizer almost came from a chip by Mbappé, but once again, the crossbar denied our team. Two minutes later, Espí scored a stunning bicycle kick, but it was ruled out for an earlier offside by the forward. In added time, Vini Jr. was brought down in the box by Natan after delivering a cross. Mbappé took the penalty, but Valles saved it. After a VAR review to check if Bartra, who took the ball from the Frenchman on the rebound, had entered the area before the penalty was taken, Hernández Hernández did not order a retake. In the final play of the match, the home goalkeeper prevented the 1-1 with a save from a Espí header.

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.