Real Madrid spent the closing stages of their 1-0 defeat to Real Betis discovering several increasingly elaborate ways not to equalise.
Troy Parrott scored the only recognised goal of the match in the 81st minute, reacting first after Thibaut Courtois had parried a Betis header into his path.
It was Parrott’s first goal since joining the Spanish club from AZ Alkmaar and arrived against José Mourinho, the manager who gave him his senior Tottenham debut in 2019.
Real Madrid then began an eight-minute attempt to ensure the match would be remembered for considerably more than the winning goal.
Substitute Carlos Espí appeared to equalise with a bicycle kick in the 87th minute, only for the celebrations to be interrupted by a VAR review. The goal was ruled out for offside, returning Betis to a lead they had technically never lost.
Madrid received another opportunity in stoppage time when Natan was penalised for a challenge on Vinícius Júnior.
Kylian Mbappé took responsibility for the penalty after already hitting the crossbar earlier in the match. His attempt was saved by Álvaro Valles, who preserved both the clean sheet and the increasingly unlikely scoreline.
Madrid players appealed for the kick to be retaken because they believed Marc Bartra had encroached into the penalty area. The protests did not alter the decision, leaving Mourinho’s side with a disallowed equaliser, a missed penalty and no points.
The result ended Madrid’s perfect start to Mourinho’s second spell at the club. They had won their opening three La Liga fixtures before encountering Parrott, Valles and a final period in which almost every route towards a goal remained temporarily available.
Betis moved level with Madrid on nine points after four matches, while Parrott completed the familiar former-player-against-former-manager storyline despite having made only four senior appearances under Mourinho at Tottenham.
Betis required one goal to win the match.
Real Madrid produced another that did not count and received a penalty that did not go in.
