Mourinho beaten at last: Betis stun Madrid as Mbappé misses a penalty

Six days ago we called La Liga a two-horse race between Real Madrid and the concept of dignity. On Saturday, dignity won. Real Betis beat Mourinho’s Madrid 1-0 at La Cartuja, ended a 37-game unbeaten run, and did it while Kylian Mbappé was busy missing a stoppage-time penalty. The Special One’s honeymoon lasted precisely until someone punched back.

How the untouchables got touched

For 80 minutes it was the Madrid you would expect: all possession, Vinícius and Mbappé both rattling the woodwork, Betis clinging on. Then Troy Parrott, of all people, popped up on 81 minutes to score the goal they will be replaying in Seville for years. And when Madrid won a stoppage-time penalty to rescue a point, Mbappé, a hat-trick hero only a fortnight ago, watched Álvaro Vallés dive the right way and paw it clear. Nine points, no leapfrogging Barcelona, and a very quiet flight home.

What you won’t get on the teamsheet

Then, inevitably, came Mourinho. Beaten for the first time, the Special One did the Special Thing and found the officials. “Betis reached half-time without a single card,” he offered, “and poor Arda, who only knows how to play, ended up with a yellow.” It is a masterclass, truly: lose the match, win the press conference, indict the man with the whistle. He is going to be magnificent value all season, just not always in the way Madrid might like.

Madrid dominated, hit the woodwork twice, won a late penalty, and still lost. Football, just occasionally, remembers its manners.

The gods giveth

A fortnight ago Madrid put four past Málaga and looked like a cheat code. That is the trouble with cheat codes: someone always finds the patch. Betis were organised, brave, and clinical with their single chance, which is precisely how you beat a side with more talent than sense of danger. Madrid will be fine. They are still Madrid. But the aura took a dent, and Barcelona, sitting pretty at the summit, will have enjoyed every second.

Mourinho came back for nights like these. He may have pictured slightly different ones. As for the rest of La Liga: dignity remains unbeaten. Long may it hold.