Real Madrid's First Defeat as Bakambu Strikes Late for Betis

All night, Real Madrid hammered on the door. They left La Cartuja with nothing.

José Mourinho’s unbeaten start vanished in the 81st minute, undone by a scrappy rebound finished by Bakambu and a ruthless Real Betis who survived, suffered and then struck to claim a 1-0 win. Days before the Champions League begins, Madrid walk away with their first loss of the season and a head full of regrets.

Madrid start like a storm

Mourinho had warned them. Betis away would demand perfection. For half an hour, it looked like his players had listened.

Madrid flew out with intent, pinning Betis back and slicing through their lines. Kylian Mbappé almost broke the game open early, only for Álvaro Valles to start what became the performance of his night with a sharp intervention.

In the 13th minute, Dean Huijsen stepped forward and unleashed a powerful drive that Valles clawed away, another reminder that Betis had a goalkeeper ready for a siege.

The pressure didn’t stop. Two minutes later, Vinícius Júnior thought he had done everything right. A delicate assist from Arda Güler slid him in, the Brazilian curved his finish past Valles — and the post rejected him by inches.

Betis were not entirely passive. Antony carried their main threat, darting at Thibaut Courtois’s goal whenever space appeared. But the real danger, the clear chances, kept piling up at the other end.

On 44 minutes, Mbappé found himself with a golden opportunity. He shot, Valles saved. The ball came back, Mbappé went again, and Valles stood up to him a second time in the same move. Madrid’s frustration was starting to take shape.

In first-half stoppage time, Huijsen rose again, this time denied by the crossbar. The interval arrived with Betis level, Madrid dominant, and the scoreboard stubbornly blank.

Control slips away

After the restart, Mbappé went hunting again. He curled one effort just wide, close enough to make the away fans rise half out of their seats before they sank back down.

Then the game began to tilt. Madrid’s control faded, Betis grew braver, their attacks carrying more purpose. The match, once one-sided, started to feel balanced, then precarious.

Sensing the drift, Mourinho reached for his bench. Bernardo Silva, Yan Diomandé and Trent Alexander-Arnold all came on, a clear signal that he was pushing hard for the winner. The fresh legs brought energy but not incision. The final pass, the final touch, kept deserting them.

Every missed chance hung heavier. Madrid were creating the story of the night themselves: domination, wastefulness, punishment.

The punishment finally arrived.

From a Betis corner in the 81st minute, Courtois produced an initial save, but the rebound fell loose in the box. Bakambu reacted quickest, pouncing and driving the ball home. La Cartuja erupted. Betis, who had clung on for so long, suddenly stood on the brink of one of the round’s standout results.

Late drama, no escape

Madrid threw everything forward. The closing minutes became an assault.

Asencio thought he had rescued them. He found the net, celebrated, believed he had salvaged at least a point — only for the referee to rule the goal out for offside. Another twist, another blow.

Then came the final act. Deep into stoppage time, at 90+5, Madrid won a penalty. Mbappé stepped up with the chance to erase an entire night’s frustration in one kick. He missed. The story of the match, distilled into a single moment.

The whistle followed soon after. Mourinho’s side, so dominant for so long, walked off beaten, ruing a catalogue of squandered opportunities on the eve of their European campaign.

For Betis, it was a statement night. For Madrid, a sharp reminder: in a season that is only just beginning, wastefulness already carries a heavy price.