September 6: A Shocking 0-1 Upset! Finding Real Madrid's Biggest Culprit in Defeat! Mourinho Faces Two Problems!

In the 92nd minute of stoppage time, the scoreboard at Villamarin Stadium still showed 0-1. Vinicius burst into the box and was brought down, the referee pointed to the penalty spot, and the entire away stand stood up. Before that, Real Madrid had produced 20 shots, 8 on target, hit the woodwork twice, and even had an equalizing bicycle kick ruled out by VAR, yet they still could not score. The final chance fell to Mbappe—the player who had just scored 4 goals in the first three rounds and was in red-hot form. He took his run-up and shot toward the bottom right corner, but Betis goalkeeper Valles guessed correctly and pushed the ball away with one hand.

7 shots, 4 on target, 4 big chances missed, expected goals of 1.78, actual goals of 0, post-match rating 6.0, the lowest in the match.

This was the entire drama of La Liga's fourth round in the early hours of September 5, 2026: Real Betis stunned Real Madrid with a 1-0 home victory, breaking Mourinho's unbeaten record after returning for a second spell. Real Madrid's momentum from three straight wins and 9 points was stopped. But the question is this—should the blame for a defeat by a team that had nearly 60 percent possession really fall entirely on the person standing at the penalty spot?

Let's go back to the first half and see what Real Madrid wasted.

Only 15 minutes after kickoff, Mbappe chipped a pass, Guler moved forward and swept the ball across to the far side, and Vinicius faced an almost completely open goal before shooting from a tight angle—the ball hit the post and bounced away. In the 43rd minute, Vinicius broke down the left and unselfishly crossed, but Mbappe's two consecutive efforts in front of goal were both blocked by Betis defenders using their bodies. In first-half stoppage time, Real Madrid also hit the crossbar. The score was 0-0 as they entered the dressing room with three missed opportunities.

The second half was even more painful. In the 81st minute, Betis took a corner, the first header was saved, and substitute Palot followed up with a rebound to make it 1-0. The only decent chance of the match had changed the three points. In the 87th minute, Vinicius crossed from the left, and substitute Espi scored a spectacular backheel bicycle kick goal—but VAR intervened and ruled it out for an earlier offside. Then came the stoppage-time penalty.

Twenty shots and zero goals—was that bad luck, or was it a collapse in efficiency?

Mourinho looked furious after the match, but his words were direct: Real Madrid had the advantage in possession and shots, but failed to convert any chances, and that level of efficiency cannot win in La Liga. The goal conceded came because the second ball from a corner was not protected, the midfield remained out of control after substitutions, and the players became anxious. He did not name anyone, but everyone understood who he was referring to.

However, when the focus returns to the midfield and defense, things are not that simple.

Courtois made four saves, and the goal conceded cannot really be blamed on him—he had already saved the initial header, but his teammates failed to protect the second ball. In defense, Huijsen was the most active player, contributing build-up play, forward runs, one tackle, two clearances, and even hitting the post once. The defensive line did not give Betis many chances, and the hosts only had one or two genuine opportunities.

In other words, the defensive work was acceptable. The root of the defeat was not in their own penalty area.

The real collapse came in midfield. Camavinga and Valverde continued as the starting pairing, the exact same setup as the previous match, but their performances dropped a level, and both were substituted in the second half. The issue was about player types—both are hardworking midfielders who can run and win battles, but neither is the kind of player who can organize possession and control the tempo. Real Madrid found themselves in the most awkward situation: they could advance the ball into the final 30 meters, but nobody decided where the next pass should go.

The solutions are actually in front of Mourinho. One option is B Silva, letting him start as the midfield 'connector'; the other is Tchouameni—he has carried an injury since the middle of this summer's World Cup and aggravated it by returning early for the semifinal, and he has not played a match this new season. Mourinho's attitude is clear: there is no rush. He would rather wait until the fifth La Liga round to give him minutes than see him play, miss time, return, and miss time again. With Camavinga's inconsistent form, Tchouameni is the only player in Real Madrid's squad who can truly carry the single-pivot role.

The situation in attack was completely different.

Guler delivered 7 key passes and was named the best player of the match by La Liga officials—but a man of the match performance ending in a 0-1 defeat sounds absurd. Bellingham had contributed to goals in each of the previous three rounds, with 2 goals and 2 assists connecting the team, but he was quiet in this game. He still stood up for a teammate in stoppage time: after Valles saved the penalty, rushed over, shouted in Mbappe's face, and bumped him with his chest, Bellingham was the first to run over and protect Mbappe.

What about Vinicius? He hit the post from an open goal in the first half, won the penalty in stoppage time, and became much more active after Espi came on in the second half—first delivering a cross, then winning the penalty. But his 23 turnovers and two missed big chances cannot be ignored.

The player truly under the spotlight is Mbappe. He lost possession 18 times, won only 5 of 13 duels, and failed to convert an expected goals figure of 1.78. Even more painful is the historical comparison—he became the sixth player in Real Madrid's La Liga history to miss a penalty in the final stage of a match that could have drawn or taken the lead. French legend Rothen was even more critical after the match: the responsibility expected from a key player was not carried.

Now Mourinho faces two unavoidable problems.

The first: should Mbappe and Vinicius both start together? The data is clear—playing together in 117 matches, Real Madrid have scored 259 goals, but the pair have only combined directly for 16 goals, with Mbappe assisting Vinicius 4 times and Vinicius assisting Mbappe 12 times. Their overlap in left-side attacking areas is as high as 63 percent; one wants to cut inside, the other wants to make forward runs, and they often end up occupying the same space. Since Mbappe joined, Real Madrid have gone trophyless in all four major competitions for two consecutive seasons, something unseen in the last 16 years. They bought a goal machine but dismantled and rebuilt the existing attacking structure—is that deal worth it?

The second problem is more specific: who should have been substituted in the second half? Both players completed the match, and Mourinho changed neither. But if Vinicius or Bellingham had taken the penalty, would the result have been the same? If Mbappe had been replaced earlier and Espi had come on sooner, could Vinicius have been activated 20 minutes earlier? No one can answer these hypothetical questions, but they are exactly why the discussion around this 0-1 defeat continues.

After the match, Betis' official social media account added another jab by reposting a fan post: "The last time Real Madrid won here, Bale had not retired yet." The caption read: "Yes, this record has continued for another year."