Kylian Mbappé's Penalty Miss Costs Real Madrid Against Betis
Kylian Mbappé stood over the ball, four minutes into stoppage time, the night hanging on his right foot. Real Madrid’s unbeaten start under José Mourinho, the roar of a travelling support, the chance to escape Seville with a point – all of it sat on the penalty spot.
Álvaro Valles guessed right. And held his ground.
Mbappé’s tame effort was smothered by the Real Betis goalkeeper, sealing a 1-0 defeat for Madrid on Friday and handing Mourinho his first loss since returning to the Bernabéu dugout.
Valles’ night, Mbappé’s miss
Vinícius Júnior had earned the late lifeline, chopped down in the box by Natan as he darted inside. The referee pointed straight to the spot. Madrid surrounded the area, Betis protested, the tension thick.
Mbappé, usually ruthless from 12 yards, stepped up with a run of seven successful penalties for Madrid behind him. This time, he went too soft, too safe. Valles read it, plunged to his side and clung on as the Benito Villamarín exploded.
Madrid players appealed for a retake, claiming Marc Bartra had encroached into the area, but the officials stood firm. No reprieve. No second chance.
It was a fitting end to a night in which Valles had repeatedly frustrated the visitors. He had already denied Jude Bellingham after the break and watched Mbappé drag chances wide and into defenders earlier in the game. When Madrid needed composure, Betis had it in goal.
Parrott pounces as Betis strike late
The decisive moment at the other end came in the 81st minute, and it arrived from a player still finding his feet in Spain.
Nelson Deossa met a cross with a firm header that Thibaut Courtois could only parry. The Belgian reacted, but not sharply enough. The rebound dropped into the six-yard box and Troy Parrott, alert and ruthless, swept it in.
For the Irish striker, a summer arrival from AZ Alkmaar, it was a first goal for Betis and one he will not forget. For Madrid, it was a gut punch.
Up to that point, they had created enough to win the game. Vinícius had clipped the post in the first half. Mbappé wasted two big openings before the interval, one blocked by Natan, another snuffed out by Bartra, whose selection in the Betis back line looked smarter with every intervention.
After the restart, Mbappé steered another effort just wide. The match became stretched, frantic, both sides chasing a breakthrough. Betis found it. Madrid chased it.
Madrid’s fury, Betis’ resolve
The final 10 minutes turned into a siege.
With five minutes left, Mbappé unleashed a thunderous drive that crashed off the crossbar, Valles beaten for once but spared by the frame of his goal. Moments later, substitute Carlos Espí flicked an acrobatic finish past Valles and wheeled away in celebration.
VAR cut it short. The equalizer was wiped out for offside, Madrid’s bench left raging on the touchline as the stadium roared again.
Betis still had chances to kill it. Courtois denied Deossa late on to keep Madrid alive, setting the stage for that stoppage-time penalty. When Mbappé failed to convert, Betis could finally breathe.
The whistle went. The points stayed in Seville.
Mourinho’s perfect start snapped
The defeat ends Madrid’s flawless opening to the league campaign and marks their first loss in the first four league games of a season since 2015–16. After two trophy-less years, three straight wins under Mourinho’s second coming had hinted at a machine already in motion.
On this night, the machine misfired.
Madrid carved out enough chances to avoid this fate, but Betis matched their intensity and made their moments count. Valles turned in a standout performance, Parrott delivered at the key moment, and the home side held their nerve when it mattered most.
The consequences ripple beyond Seville. Barcelona now walk into Sunday’s trip to Valencia with the chance to open up an early three-point gap over their great rivals.
For Mbappé and Mourinho, the reaction to this first setback will say as much about Madrid’s season as the early winning streak ever could.
