Mbappe Penalty Miss Costs Real Madrid as Betis End Mourinho’s Winning Start

Real Madrid suffered their first setback of the new La Liga season as Real Betis secured a 1-0 victory on Friday night. The defeat ended Jose Mourinho’s perfect three-game winning start since returning to the Madrid bench, while Kylian Mbappe’s stoppage-time penalty miss added further frustration for the visitors.

Betis scored the decisive goal in the 81st minute. Thibaut Courtois saved Nelson Deossa’s header, but Troy Parrott reacted quickest to the rebound and fired the ball into the net to give the hosts the lead. Real Madrid pushed hard for an equaliser but could not find a way through Betis’ defence.

Madrid’s best chance to rescue a point came deep into stoppage time. Vinicius Junior was brought down inside the box by Natan, giving Madrid a penalty. Mbappe stepped up, but Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles guessed correctly and saved the French forward’s effort.

Marc Bartra then cleared the rebound before Mbappe could attempt a second shot.

The penalty immediately sparked controversy, with Madrid supporters arguing that Bartra had entered the penalty area before Mbappe took the kick. However, Mundo Deportivo explained that although Bartra moved forward early, his feet were not grounded inside the area when Mbappe struck the ball. Under the interpretation applied to the incident, the penalty therefore did not have to be retaken.

Real Madrid had created several opportunities before that dramatic finale. Vinicius hit the post in the first half, while Mbappe saw efforts blocked by Natan and Bartra. One of his later attempts also struck the crossbar.

Madrid thought they had finally found the equaliser in the 87th minute when Carlos Espi produced a spectacular bicycle kick. However, VAR ruled the goal out for an earlier offside, leaving Madrid still chasing the game.

Despite the defeat, Mourinho defended his players after the match. The Portuguese coach insisted that Madrid had controlled large parts of the game, created enough chances to win and deserved more from the result. He also refused to blame the defeat entirely on refereeing decisions.

Mourinho was booked during the match and later joked about the incident, saying a Betis player in front of his bench appeared to be badly injured, making him think an ambulance might be needed. The remark was part of his wider criticism of what he described as Betis’ ability to influence refereeing decisions.

The defeat leaves Real Madrid with nine points after four matches and brings an end to their flawless start under Mourinho.