Roncero: From a Pure Football Perspective, I Think Real Madrid’s Loss to Betis Was Unfair

After Real Madrid were defeated away by Real Betis, Roncero wrote an article reviewing the match. He believes the loss was unfair from a purely football perspective, but the team once again showed emotional instability, while Mbappe's repeated missed chances in front of goal became a major turning point in the game.

The first stumble

Real Madrid coached by Mourinho had previously enjoyed a smooth start to the new season, with Mbappe in excellent scoring form and the team's defense very solid. It once made people feel that this completely new team might not lose a match for several months. But when their first truly challenging away game arrived, at the La Cartuja stadium filled with Betis supporters, the team stepped on the first 'banana peel' of the new season.

Indeed, if we look only at the football itself, I think losing to Pellegrini's Betis was unfair, but this defeat also revealed the emotional instability and fragility of this team. Over the past two seasons, they have repeatedly fallen on chaotic nights like the one last night.

In reality, football is very simple. If you create clear scoring opportunities, you have to put the ball in the net. Today, Mbappe inexplicably completely lost his accuracy in front of goal. In just the first half, he had two chances with the goalkeeper already beaten, but both shots went directly into Betis defenders. The team's leading star could not even convert a penalty. Without question, this lack of efficiency cost Mourinho, and this time he could not complete a comeback through substitutions.

The excellent Carlos Espi almost helped him achieve that, scoring a brilliant goal. But with the modern football habit of constantly reviewing incidents through replays, they eventually discovered that the young player had been offside beforehand, and his work of art was therefore ruled out.

I would like to focus on the possibility that Mbappe's missed penalty should have been retaken, because the fact that it was not retaken was truly difficult to understand. There is nothing new under the sun, but I believe that with the attacking ability of Real Madrid's current squad, they should not have left La Cartuja empty-handed...

Betis' situation was much simpler. Alvaro Valles was in outstanding form, and together with the Irishman who was very active after coming on, he proved through his performance that scoring runs through his veins. In the end, they produced a result that almost nobody expected before this major Seville battle.

Brother club

I know times have changed, just like the relationship between Real Madrid and Espanyol. The brotherly bond between Real Madrid and Betis is no longer as deep as it once was. However, Fran Garcia recently joined Betis for a 'friendship price' of 4 million euros, and Ceballos also arriving at the green-and-white side shows that Betis remains a highly respected club in the offices of the Bernabeu.

It has always been this way historically. The list of players who have worn the shirts of both clubs is enough to prove it: Lecue, Barrinaga, Mateos, Castanedo, Santisteban, Isidro (father of Kike Sanchez Flores), Del Sol (who moved to Juventus in the 1960s for a transfer fee of 22 million pesetas), Ansarda, the great Rafael Gordillo, Poli Rincon, Ito, Parra, Jarni, Alfonso, Ivan Perez, Rivera, Haro, Adan, Contreras, Tote, Javi Garcia, Juanfran, Van der Vaart, Canales, Diego Llorente and Isco. Forever friends. Go Betis, go Real Madrid.

On this day in history

On September 4, 1960, the Bernabeu hosted what my late father described as one of the most thrilling matches in Real Madrid's history. At the time, Real Madrid and Penarol—the childhood club supported by Federico Valverde—were competing for the first Intercontinental Cup title. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Montevideo, the European champions and the South American champions would decide everything over 90 minutes.

By the 15th minute, more than 120,000 spectators at Chamartin were already celebrating wildly because of Puskas' two brilliant goals and Di Stefano's goal. Chus Herrera and Paco Gento then continued scoring, with Gento adding a classic chipped finish, allowing Real Madrid to complete a magnificent 'five-finger mountain' performance. Uruguayan player Spencer's later goal could only slightly reduce the margin. That Real Madrid side was the emperor of world football. No team could compete with them. Of course, I cannot say the same about the current team...

Betis' heartwarming gesture

Before the match began, I really liked an action taken by Betis: they displayed the Spanish flag and the Ceuta flag on the pitch. Our compatriots are going through a nightmare, so any gesture showing support and solidarity toward them is, in my view, highly commendable. I hope other teams can follow their example, and from now on we can see such gestures at every La Liga stadium.