Betis beat Real Madrid 1-0 as Parrott scores and Valles saves Mbappé's penalty

Real Betis beat Real Madrid 1-0 on Friday in Seville, in the fourth round of the 2026/27 LaLiga season. It was José Mourinho's first league defeat since taking charge of the club, and the first time since the 2014-15 season that Real Madrid have lost one of their opening four league games, according to the ESPN match report.

The goal came in the 81st minute, scored by Troy Parrott, who had come on in the 68th. The Irishman turned in the rebound from a header that Thibaut Courtois had pushed away. It was his first goal for Betis since his transfer from AZ Alkmaar.

The penalty that would have levelled it, and did not

Deep in stoppage time, Natan brought Vinícius Júnior down in the box and Real Madrid had the chance to equalise. Kylian Mbappé took it and goalkeeper Álvaro Valles saved. ESPN notes that the stop ended a run of seven consecutive conversions by the Frenchman.

The table felt it the following Sunday: Barcelona thrashed Valencia 5-0 and opened a three-point lead at the top. Both had gone into the round level on nine points.

It is too little football for a big conclusion, and that is worth spelling out: four rounds of a thirty-eight-round league settle nothing. What the defeat does settle is the mood. A coach returning to a club thirteen years later starts surrounded by comparison, and losing early turns every following round into an answer.