Kylian Mbappé's Missed Penalty Costs Madrid in Defeat to Betis
Kylian Mbappé stood over the ball, four minutes into stoppage time, the game on his boot and the Mourinho momentum on his shoulders. One clean strike and Real Madrid would escape Seville with a point.
Álvaro Valles refused to play his part in the script.
The Real Betis goalkeeper guessed right, sprang low, and smothered Mbappé’s penalty to seal a 1-0 win on Friday night and hand José Mourinho his first defeat since returning to the Madrid bench. The save capped a superb performance from Valles and snapped Mbappé’s run of seven successful spot kicks for Madrid in all competitions.
Parrott stuns Madrid late
Madrid had flirted with danger all evening. Betis finally punished them in the 81st minute.
Nelson Deossa rose to meet a cross and hammered a header at Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian managed to parry but couldn’t hold it. The rebound dropped perfectly for Troy Parrott, the Irish striker signed this summer from AZ Alkmaar, who reacted quickest and swept in his first goal for Betis.
The stadium erupted. Mourinho’s unbeaten start was suddenly hanging by a thread.
Madrid thought they had wriggled free. Five minutes from time, Mbappé unleashed a vicious drive that crashed against the crossbar with Valles beaten. Moments later, substitute Carlos Espí produced an acrobatic flick past the keeper and wheeled away in celebration.
VAR cut it short. The goal was ruled out for offside, and with it went another chance to preserve Madrid’s perfect league record.
Chances wasted, streak snapped
The defeat ends Madrid’s run of three straight wins to open the league season and marks their first loss in their opening four games of a campaign since 2015-16. For a club coming off two trophy-less years and riding the wave of Mourinho’s high-profile return, the timing stings.
It didn’t have to end this way.
Madrid carved out enough opportunities to win the game long before the late drama. Vinícius Júnior clipped the post in the first half. Mbappé squandered two big openings before the break: one effort crashed into Natan, another was snuffed out by Marc Bartra, who justified his place with a crucial block.
After halftime, Jude Bellingham found space, only for Valles to deny him as well. Mbappé drove a shot just wide moments after the restart. Madrid pushed, Betis resisted, and the tension rose with every attack.
The breakthrough came at the other end. Deossa’s header, Courtois’ fumble, Parrott’s instinct. One lapse, one goal.
Even then, Madrid kept coming. Courtois had to bail them out again late on, stopping Deossa as Betis chased a second. The visitors finally got their lifeline when Natan brought down Vinícius in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.
Mbappé stepped up. The strike lacked his usual conviction. Valles, already in inspired form, dived and saved. Madrid players appealed for a retake, claiming Bartra had encroached, but the officials stood firm. Betis kept their lead. And the points.
Barcelona handed an opening
The loss doesn’t just dent Madrid’s early-season confidence. It opens the door for Barcelona, who can move three points clear if they beat Valencia on Sunday.
Mourinho’s second Madrid era had started with three wins and a sense of something building again at the Bernabéu. In Seville, that surge met resistance, a crossbar, a raised flag, and a goalkeeper in the form of his life.
Now the question is simple: was this just a stumble, or the first crack in Mourinho’s new Madrid project?
