Real Betis stunned Real Madrid: Parrott decided it in Seville, Mbappé missed a stoppage-time penalty
Real Betis handed Real Madrid their first league defeat of the new season by beating them 1:0 in Seville, in a La Liga fourth-round match played on September 4, 2026 at La Cartuja stadium. The winning goal was scored by Irish forward Troy Parrott in the 81st minute, while Real Madrid had two major chances late on to avoid defeat. First, Carlos Espí's goal was ruled out for offside, and then Kylian Mbappé took a stoppage-time penalty that was saved by goalkeeper Álvaro Valles. According to the Associated Press report, it was precisely Valles's save in the closing minutes that preserved Betis's victory and ended José Mourinho's team's perfect league run. The result also gave Betis one of their most high-profile victories at the start of the season, while showing the Madrid side just how costly missed chances can be even when they spend most of the match on the attacking front foot.
Madrid attacked, Valles protected Betis
Real Madrid arrived in Seville with three wins from their first three league appearances and ten goals scored, so they opened the match as the team with more possession and more entries into the final third of the pitch. Ahead of the match, the club announced that Mbappé and Jude Bellingham were in very good form: the French forward had scored four goals in the previous two matches, while Bellingham had already made an important contribution both as a scorer and as a provider. However, Madrid's efficiency did not continue against Betis. Valles stopped an early effort from Dean Huijsen, and the home defence withstood several periods of pressure during the first half in which the visitors tried to find space for Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé.
According to reports in the Spanish media, Real created more chances during the match, but Betis remained organised and patient. El Español states that the Madrid side missed a series of opportunities before being punished in the closing stages, while Cadena SER highlighted the key role of Valles, especially in the moments when the result hung in the balance. Real threatened from open play and set pieces, and several attempts ended with a block, a goalkeeper save or went wide of the goal. The flow of the match created the impression that a goal for the visitors was only a matter of time, but Betis managed to keep the game balanced long enough for one late situation to completely change the direction of the encounter.
Betis did not play exclusively defensively. Manuel Pellegrini's team looked for opportunities through quicker transitions and set pieces, aware that Real's high press left space behind the first line. Thibaut Courtois had to react in several dangerous situations, and one of his major saves immediately preceded the only goal of the match. In the 81st minute, the home side produced a shot after a set piece that the Belgian goalkeeper managed to stop, but the rebound remained in a dangerous area. Parrott reacted fastest and from close range sent the ball into the net for 1:0.
Parrott's goal gained additional symbolism
For Troy Parrott, the goal had special significance. Real Betis officially confirmed his arrival from AZ Alkmaar in August and a contract until 2031, while the Republic of Ireland international arrived in Spain after a highly productive spell in the Netherlands. According to data published by Betis when the transfer was announced, Parrott recorded 31 goals and 12 assists for AZ in the previous season and won the Dutch cup and super cup with the club. His arrival was intended to increase competition in the attack of a team that is also competing in the Champions League this season.
The goal against Real Madrid is additionally interesting because of Parrott's previous connection with Mourinho. The Irish forward developed through Tottenham, and it was under the Portuguese coach that he received his first senior opportunities at the English club. Loans at Millwall, Ipswich, MK Dons and Preston followed, then a move to Dutch football and a gradual establishment as an effective striker. Betis brought him in as a player who could offer depth, movement behind the defence and finishing inside the penalty area. Against Madrid he did not need a series of chances: one well-timed reaction to a rebound was enough to decide the match.
His 81st-minute goal was all the more significant because Real Madrid had largely dictated the tempo until then. Instead of being rewarded for their greater number of attacks, Mourinho's team found themselves having to rescue at least a point in the final ten minutes or so. Betis then dropped deeper, defended the space in front of Valles and tried to survive the expected final pressure. In that context, Parrott's goal was not merely an individual moment, but a reward for the home side's discipline and readiness to keep the match open until the very end.
Espí scored, but VAR confirmed offside
After conceding the goal, Real Madrid intensified their attacks and very quickly reached a moment that appeared likely to change the score. Carlos Espí found the Betis net with an attractive finish, but the goal was disallowed. According to reports by El Español and Cadena SER, the move was ruled out because of offside in the build-up, and the decision was confirmed after a review. For the visitors, it was the first of two major blows in the dramatic ending.
The disallowed goal further increased the pressure on the home defence. Madrid sent more and more players into the penalty area, while Betis tried to close the centre and force the visitors into quicker, less precise solutions. Although Mourinho looked for additional energy from the bench during the second half, the closing stages remained nervous and unpredictable. The hosts defended closer and closer to their own goal, but did not completely lose their structure, which allowed them to retain the narrow lead even after the disallowed goal.
The course of the final minutes further emphasised just how close the match was to an equaliser. Real Madrid did not stop attacking, and Betis were forced on several occasions to clear the ball from the danger area without attempting an organised way out. In such a situation, every mistake could have been decisive. In the end, it was one intervention inside the penalty area that gave the visitors their final major chance.
Mbappé got his chance from the spot, Valles read the shot
In stoppage time, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty after a foul on Vinícius Júnior. Kylian Mbappé took responsibility, the player expected to confirm his excellent goalscoring form from the start of the season. However, Álvaro Valles read his intention and saved the shot. According to the Associated Press, that intervention was the final act of Madrid's attempt to return from Seville with at least a point.
Cadena SER states that after the save there was also a review of a situation involving players entering the penalty area before the kick was taken, but the penalty was not retaken. Betis therefore survived the final major surge and held on to 1:0 until the end. For Valles, it was a match in which he repeatedly stopped dangerous efforts by the visitors, and the save from Mbappé's penalty logically became its most important moment. In a match in which Real had enough chances to score, the home goalkeeper became the key figure in the result.
Mbappé's miss also demonstrated how quickly a football match can turn against a team that fails to make the most of its periods of dominance. The Frenchman arrived in Seville after a run of goals, but this time he found no way past Valles even when he was given the most direct opportunity possible. For Real Madrid, it was not merely a missed penalty, but the final missed opportunity to preserve their perfect league record.
First defeat of Mourinho's second spell
The defeat in Seville is Real's first league loss since José Mourinho returned to the bench of the Madrid club. Real Madrid officially announced on June 11, 2026 that the Portuguese coach had been appointed for three seasons, until June 30, 2029, beginning his second spell at the club after the period from 2010 to 2013. He began the new league season with three consecutive wins, making the trip to Betis the first serious interruption to the initial momentum.
Even before the match, Mourinho had warned that his team would need to perform at the highest level to win in Seville. In its official preview, Real Madrid noted that Betis had started the season with two wins and one defeat and that Manuel Pellegrini's team had previously kept clean sheets in two of their first three league appearances. That caution proved justified. Madrid did control a large part of the game, but control without finishing was not enough against a home side that knew how to wait for its moment.
After the match, according to reports in the British and Spanish media, Mourinho emphasised his team's dominance and the number of chances created, but did not enter into an extensive controversy over refereeing decisions. The key fact remained simple: Real did not score from open play, had a goal ruled out for offside, and Mbappé failed to convert the penalty. For a coach who opened the season with convincing results, it was the first reminder that the new team, regardless of individual quality, will have to be more efficient in matches in which the opponent accepts a deeper block and waits for a mistake.
Betis recovered after a heavy defeat
The victory over Real Madrid carries additional weight for Betis because it came immediately after a very unpleasant league result. Pellegrini's team had previously lost 5:2 away to Levante after opening the season with two victories. Against Madrid they managed to respond with a completely different type of match: stronger defending, greater discipline without the ball and maximum use of one of the rare situations in which space opened up in front of Courtois.
Real Madrid and Betis both have nine points after four matches, according to The Times report published after the game. Such a return gives Betis a very strong early position, especially given that the club is simultaneously entering its European campaign. For Madrid, the defeat is no reason for long-term conclusions, but it ends the ideal start and increases the importance of the response in the next matches. The difference between three points and none in Seville came down to two details in the final fifteen minutes or so: Parrott's reaction to the rebound and Valles's penalty save.
In a broader sense, the match showed that Betis under Pellegrini can still be an extremely awkward opponent for teams seeking a high tempo and dominance through possession. The Chilean coach is entering his seventh consecutive season in charge of the club, and the continuity of his work can be seen in the team's ability to change its style depending on the opponent. Against Real, it was not necessary to outplay the visitors in every phase, but rather to stay alive in terms of the score, withstand the pressure and take advantage of the moment when it appeared.
The Champions League arrives immediately after the big league clash
Neither Real Madrid nor Betis will have much time to analyse the Seville match because the league phase of the UEFA Champions League begins for them as early as September 8. According to UEFA's official schedule, Real Madrid will host Inter at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, while Betis travel to France for a match against Lille. For both clubs, it will be a new test only four days after their league meeting.
For Real, the match against Inter will be an opportunity for a quick response after the first defeat in the domestic league. Mourinho will have to assess how much the events in Seville were the result of poor finishing and how much they reflected structural attacking problems against an organised defence. The team that scored ten goals in the first three league matches has now failed to score, despite a late penalty and a series of earlier chances. Such a contrast makes the Betis match a useful warning ahead of the start of the European campaign.
Betis, on the other hand, travel to Lille with a result that can strongly boost confidence. The club returns to the Champions League after a long absence, and UEFA states that this is only Betis's second appearance in the competition and the first in 21 years. In that context, the victory over Real Madrid comes at an ideal moment: the team showed that it can withstand the pressure of one of Europe's strongest sides and remain composed in the closing stages.
In Seville, however, the match was decided by a very fine margin. Real Madrid had enough situations before the final minutes to steer the match in their favour, but failed to turn them into a goal. Betis survived the most difficult phases of the game, waited for their opportunity and took it through Parrott. When the final chance to equalise then appeared, Valles stopped Mbappé and concluded a night that Betis will remember for a combination of discipline, patience and two decisive moments in the two penalty areas.
Sources:
- Associated Press / iNFOnews - match report, Parrott's goal and Valles's save from Mbappé's penalty (link)
- Real Madrid C.F. - official announcement on the appointment of José Mourinho as coach until 2029 (link)
- Real Madrid C.F. - official match preview with information on the start of the season, player form and the Betis context (link)
- Real Betis Balompié - official announcement on Troy Parrott's transfer, contract and performances at AZ Alkmaar (link)
- El Español - report on the course of the match, the 81st-minute goal and Carlos Espí's disallowed equaliser (link)
- Cadena SER - report on the closing stages of the match, the disallowed goal and the review of the situation after the saved penalty (link)
- UEFA - official schedule for the first matchday of the 2026/27 Champions League league phase for Real Madrid and Real Betis (link)
- The Times - report on the result, points tally after four rounds and preview of the next European matches (link)