A 0-1 Defeat Benefits Barcelona, Real Madrid Suffer First Loss and Face Greater Title Challenge, Mourinho Faces Major Test

A 0-1 result has turned the La Liga standings into a three-way battle. At 3 a.m. on September 5, 2026, at the Benito Villamarin Stadium, Real Madrid traveled to face Real Betis after opening the season with three straight wins and nine points, but they were brought down 1-0 by Palot's 81st-minute follow-up finish. What was even more frustrating? Real Madrid had nearly 60% possession, 20 shots and 8 on target. Vinicius hit the post with an open goal opportunity, Mbappe had two attempts blocked, and they even won a penalty in stoppage time, but Mbappe stepped up from 12 yards and saw his effort saved by Betis goalkeeper Valles. One conceded corner, one missed stoppage-time penalty—Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season in the most dramatic way and sent Barcelona to the top of the table.

Who could have predicted this script before the match? Real Madrid had scored 10 goals in their first three rounds, Mbappe had just scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad, and Mourinho's second spell at the club had started with three straight victories. The squad was valued at €935 million, with an average starting lineup age of 26.2 years, looking overwhelmingly strong on paper. Betis, meanwhile, had six points from three matches with two wins and one defeat, and had just suffered a 2-5 away loss to Levante in the previous round, exposing defensive weaknesses. But that is football—paper strength means nothing once the final whistle blows.

Real Madrid started with a 4-2-3-1 formation and pushed forward aggressively. In the 15th minute, Mbappe chipped a pass, Guler broke down the right and crossed to the far post, where Vinicius shot from a tight angle into an open goal but hit the post and the ball went out. It was the clearest chance of the match, without question. In the 43rd minute, Vinicius broke down the left and crossed, and Mbappe fired twice from close range, both efforts blocked by Betis defenders throwing themselves in the way. In first-half stoppage time, Huijsen's powerful shot hit the crossbar. Three clear chances, three misses.

In the second half, Mourinho made three substitutions at once in the 64th minute, bringing on B Silva, Diamande and Alexander-Arnold one after another. Did the changes work like a new blade? No, they changed little. In the 81st minute, Betis won a corner, Fornals' header was saved by Courtois, and 24-year-old Irishman Parrott followed up to score. 1-0. Parrott had only joined Betis from AZ Alkmaar for €16 million in the summer window. A product of Tottenham's academy, he announced himself at the Benito Villamarin for the first time by taking down the league leaders.

Trailing, Real Madrid launched a desperate attack. In the 87th minute, Vinicius crossed from the left and substitute Espe scored with an overhead kick inside the box. The away fans erupted, but VAR intervened and ruled Espe offside before receiving the ball, disallowing the goal. From celebration to disappointment in less than a minute. In the third minute of stoppage time, Vinicius was brought down by Nathan inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty, showing Nathan a yellow card. All eyes turned to Mbappe—the redemption moment had arrived. But after his run-up and shot, Valles saved comfortably. Valles then moved toward Mbappe and made contact with his chest, Bellingham stepped in to push him away, and a confrontation broke out with several yellow cards shown. Mbappe finished with 7 shots, 4 on target, 1 missed penalty, 1 shot hitting the frame, 4 missed scoring chances and 18 turnovers. His post-match rating was only 6.0, the lowest among Real Madrid players.

The final whistle confirmed a 0-1 scoreline. After four rounds, Real Madrid had three wins and one defeat with nine points, dropping to second place. Barcelona, with one match fewer played, also had nine points and moved to the top through goal difference. In other words, Real Madrid's defeat gave Barcelona an advantage without playing—Barcelona had not yet played this round, and a win later in the evening would allow them to establish a real lead in the standings. In the La Liga title defense race, Barcelona's margin for error had expanded once again.

The match also added a striking historical note: Betis have become something of a nemesis for Real Madrid. Data shows that over the last 10 La Liga seasons, Betis have taken points from Real Madrid as often as Atletico Madrid, with eight clean sheets, the most against Real Madrid during that period. They have taken 22 league points from Madrid, ranking second among all La Liga teams. Pellegrini himself has faced Real Madrid 28 times as a La Liga manager, keeping nine clean sheets, tied for second in La Liga history behind Aragones' 11. Real Madrid's last league away win at Betis came in August 2021, when Carvajal scored in a 1-0 victory. Since 2021, Real Madrid have not won away at Real Betis in the league.

Mourinho's defeat was extremely frustrating. At the post-match press conference, he looked angry and stated directly: "We had the advantage in possession and shots, but none of the chances we created went in... With this efficiency, you cannot win in La Liga. Top teams cannot waste chances like this." He did not specifically criticize Mbappe, but everyone understood that five shots without a goal plus a missed stoppage-time penalty made the highest-paid attacker’s performance difficult to defend. Interestingly, Real Madrid TV (RMTV) also focused on the officiating after the match, arguing that Betis defender Bartra entered the penalty area early before the penalty was taken and that the kick should have been retaken, accusing the referee of making a "technical error."

Mourinho's first defeat in his second spell at Real Madrid was a bizarre one. The ratings made it even more striking: Guler, the midfielder on the losing side, received a 7.8 rating and was named La Liga's official Man of the Match, while Parrott, the scorer for the winners, did not appear in Real Madrid's rating list. Mbappe, leading the line for Madrid, received a 6.0 rating, with his stoppage-time penalty saved by Valles. On the same night, Liverpool earned their first win through Isak's two goals in the opening three minutes, while Paris lost 1-2 at home to Monaco and dropped to 12th. The three major clubs showed the difference between wasting chances and taking chances.

After this 0-1 defeat, the issue of margin for error in the La Liga title race has come directly into focus. Real Madrid sit second after four matches with three wins and one defeat and nine points, Barcelona lead with the same number of points from one fewer match, and Betis have also moved into the top three on points. Mourinho's so-called first-defeat pattern after returning to Real Madrid is also dramatic—his first away match against Betis as a coach came in November 2005, when Chelsea lost 0-1 in the Champions League; in November 2012, he lost 0-1 away to Betis with Real Madrid in La Liga; now in September 2026, another 0-1 defeat has made the Betis home ground seem to hold a permanent record of setbacks for Mourinho. Mbappe's 6.0 rating and Guler's 7.8 rating created a stark contrast, and on this night the atmosphere inside the Bernabeu dressing room was likely frozen.