New Delhi, September 5 (Daily Kiran) : Real Madrid’s head coach, José Mourinho, showed visible disappointment following his team’s 1-0 loss to Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday. After the match, he raised concerns about the referee’s decisions, asserting that his team had played well enough to deserve a win.
In the post-match interview, Mourinho stated, “We should have won, but points aren’t awarded just for deserving them.” From the outset, Real Madrid showcased strong gameplay, maintaining control of the ball. Within the first 15 minutes, they created two significant chances. In the 11th minute, Arda Güler delivered an impressive cross, which Dean Huijsen attempted to convert, but Betis’ goalkeeper made a remarkable save. Just three minutes later, Vinícius Júnior had another opportunity from Güler’s excellent cross, but his shot hit the post, denying Madrid a goal.
As the first half progressed, Betis began to find their footing, yet Real Madrid continued to generate scoring opportunities. In the 43rd minute, Jude Bellingham passed the ball to Vinícius, who then set up Kylian Mbappé for a shot inside the box. However, Betis defender Naiton thwarted the attempt, and shortly after, another effort from Mbappé was saved by Marc Bartra on the goal line.
In stoppage time, Madrid came close again when the goalkeeper saved Bellingham’s header, and Huijsen’s follow-up hit the crossbar. The second half saw the visiting team maintain pressure, but they struggled to find the back of the net. Betis’ goalkeeper, Walles, made a crucial save against Diosa’s header in the 80th minute, but Troy Parrott capitalized on the follow-up to give the home team the lead.
Real Madrid had one last chance to equalize during stoppage time when Vinícius was brought down inside the box. Mbappé took the penalty, but Walles made yet another vital save. During this tense match, Mourinho received a yellow card and expressed frustration over the referee’s disciplinary decisions, particularly regarding Güler’s yellow card in the first half.
“I don’t understand why I received a yellow card, but it’s fine, I accept it. Betis played the first half without any cards, while Arda Güler was booked. I didn’t like that decision, as Arda was just playing his game,” he remarked.
Mourinho also mentioned he couldn’t comment much on the retaken penalty and the disallowed goal by Gonzalo Espi, as he hadn’t seen the replays. “I can’t say much about the retaken penalty and Espi’s goal since I haven’t reviewed those incidents. However, I noticed that those on the bench were quite frustrated watching the replays on the tablet. Until I see it myself, I won’t comment further.”
Despite the loss, Mourinho praised his players’ performance, stating, “I don’t know why we lost; I can’t pinpoint a reason. The team played well collectively and individually. I have no complaints about the players’ attitudes; on the contrary, everyone gave their best.”
He acknowledged that Real Madrid created several chances but were unable to score due to the outstanding performance of Betis’ goalkeeper. “We missed three opportunities, and their goalkeeper made four incredible saves. Perhaps my opinion will change after watching the match again, but from the bench today, I couldn’t understand why we lost.” This defeat marked Madrid’s first of the season, causing them to slip to second place in the points table, as their fierce rivals Barcelona maintained the top position with a better goal difference.
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