Real Madrid saw their title grow smaller in the distance on Friday night against Real Betis. This time the performance was more or less positive, but a lack of a clinical edge in the Betis box was punished in the dying embers of game.
The opening to the match was relatively tentative for both sides, but Real Madrid looked to have more threat. Jude Bellingham couldn’t quite convert a lofted ball to the back post, and Kylian Mbappe hit the side-netting from the right side of the box from a tight angle. It was a ball from one box to the other from Trent Alexander-Arnold, removing the entire Betis team from the equation, that brought the first real chance. Mbappe was clean through on goal, but rushed the shot, and ballooned it over.
Fortunately for him, he did not have too much time to rue it before he was celebrating. A shot from distance by Fede Valverde was parried by Alvaro Valles, a good save until he looked up to see Vinicius Junior was quickly onto the rebound, passing past him into the corner. It wasn’t that Real Betis were unable to find a way forward, but their counter-attacks were rushed, and they struggled to work through the press well.
Until the final five minutes of the half, when the home side finally smelled blood. A bad giveaway from Thiago Pitarch, starting for the absent Aurelien Tchouameni, outside of his box allowed Antony to force the first brilliant save from Andriy Lunin after a deflection from Dean Huijsen. Moments later, Antonio Rudiger couldn’t cut out a ball over the top, and Cedric Bakambu was through on goal, until a giant Ukrainian foot got in the way of his progress. In the same play, Antony again had a chance to shoot from the edge of the box, and Lunin tipped over, finishing the half furiously shouting at his defence.
He started the second far more relaxed, watching as Real Madrid searched for the pressure points in the Betis defence again. Alexander-Arnold and Bellingham were the ones providing the runs and the passes, but Vinicius and Mbappe were being well watched. With Cucho Hernandez and Isco sent on to remedy Betis’ lack of dynamism, you expected some form of reaction, but it was relatively lacklustre. A brief spell of ten minutes after the hour-mark, as Real Madrid’s press lost some of its enthusiasm resulted only in a set-piece, where Lunin was again perfect to tip wide a Natan effort.
To Los Blancos’ credit, they were closing out the game with relative comfort, and if there was a side likely to score, it was them. Vinicius caught the defence short, and finally drove inside two defenders to the centre of the box, but with the goal at his mercy, barely made contact with the ball. Eduardo Camavinga also had a late dash into the danger zone, halted by an excellent block, but more than anything, those chances were a consequence of Real Madrid running down the clock, keeping the ball away from Betis as best they could. Mbappe, who had been out of sorts all night, eventually asked to be brought off with 10 minutes to go.
Only when the clock ticked past the three minutes added on, did Betis’ chance come. Having gone half an hour without a clear opening, Antony finally got the better of Mendy for the first time, and fired across the six-yard box following a one-two with Hector Bellerin. Rudiger got his foot in to prevent the goal, but it went straight back to Bellerin on the right side of the box. With bodies converging on the goal, Bellerin found the sweet spot. Firing low and firm into the bottom right corner, he locked onto the gap in the five Real Madrid bodies between him and the goal.
With the Feria ongoing in Seville, Betis fans might decide that it is worth going after all. The wild celebrations were those of a team that had kept themselves in the game, showing admirable faith despite the lack of encouragement. Had you asked the home crowd, some already dribbling out of La Cartuja, if they felt it was coming, their answer might have been something along the lines of ‘that’s the beauty of football’.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s might be closer to ‘that’s the cruelty of football’. Los Blancos had made the entire second half, and save for a five-minute spell at the end of the first half, most of the game. Yet they did so conservatively, and with passive possession. Real Madrid had the chances to put the game to bed, and of all clubs, should be familiar with the dangers of leaving your opponent a shot at the epic. Los Blancos lie eight behind Barcelona, Betis move six ahead of Getafe and Celta Vigo, with all three of their closest rivals to play this weekend.
