Kylian Mbappé's Penalty Miss Costs Real Madrid in Seville
SEVILLE, Spain — Kylian Mbappé paused, shuffled, picked his corner and struck. Álvaro Valles read it all the way.
The Real Betis goalkeeper plunged low to his right, smothered the 95th-minute penalty, and La Cartuja erupted. Moments later, the final whistle confirmed it: Real Madrid’s first defeat of José Mourinho’s second spell had arrived in just the third league outing of the season, a 1-0 loss that will sting.
Valles turns into a wall
Valles didn’t just win the night with one save. He owned it.
From the opening minutes, Madrid’s stars kept colliding with the Betis keeper. Jude Bellingham thought he had picked out the corner with a firm early header, only for Valles to spring across goal and claw it away with a full-stretch dive. It set the tone. Every time Madrid pushed, Valles pushed back harder.
By the time stoppage time arrived, his gloves were already warm from a string of stops. Then came the moment that will replay across Spain all weekend.
Vinícius Júnior, electric down the left, darted along the byline and tempted disaster. Betis defender Natan obliged, lunging recklessly and sending the Brazilian tumbling. The referee pointed to the spot. Mbappé grabbed the ball.
The World Cup’s top scorer this summer, already with goals in two of his first three Madrid games and a hat trick on his early-season résumé, stood over the penalty. It felt inevitable.
Valles had other ideas.
He had studied Mbappé’s penalties. He trusted his homework. As the Frenchman stutter-stepped and tried to disguise his intent, Valles stayed patient, then committed to his right. The ball followed. The save was clean.
He sprang up roaring, chest-bumping a stunned Mbappé as La Cartuja shook.
“We were sure we had it, but of course you also need a bit of luck,” Valles said afterward. “He is very good at trying to make you commit early and not showing you where he is aiming. I was fortunate to stop it.”
Parrott strikes, Mbappé misfires
Betis had already landed their punch.
With Madrid searching for control and Mourinho prowling the touchline, Troy Parrott delivered the decisive blow in the 81st minute. His finish gave the hosts a lead they had been fighting for, and it forced Madrid into a desperate late siege.
Mbappé, though, never quite looked like the unstoppable force he has appeared in flashes since arriving. His night in Seville veered from frustration to disbelief.
In the first half, Vinícius again carved Betis open and drew Valles out of position, rolling the ball across for what looked like a simple Mbappé tap-in. The forward’s first effort was blocked by a defender scrambling back on the line. The rebound fell kindly. His second shot crashed into another green-and-white shirt. Two bites, no goal.
Later, Mbappé rattled the goal frame with a fierce effort, inches from rescuing Madrid. The warning signs were there, but the equalizer never came.
When the penalty arrived deep into stoppage time, it felt like the inevitable correction. Instead, it became the defining miss of Madrid’s young season.
Mourinho’s first setback, Inter next
For Mourinho, this was the first real jolt of his return. A narrow defeat, yes, but one wrapped in missed chances, a late penalty failure and a goalkeeper turning into a one-man barrier.
For Mbappé, the story is more personal. A blazing start, a leading role on the biggest stages, and now a night when the spotlight burned harshly.
Redemption will not take long to chase. Madrid host Inter Milan on Tuesday in their Champions League opener. Different competition, same pressure.
After Seville, all eyes will be on Mbappé when he steps up to the spot again.
